Lost and Found
by AsgardainAvenger
Summary: (Previously called Snow Bros) After helping the Avengers take down Thanos and faking his death again, Loki remained in hiding. But things go haywire once Loki's girlfriend and kids are kidnapped. Loki must work with a stranger who shares a dark past as well, to rescue them. Strangely, Loki finds himself relating to the man, who could possibly become his best (and only) friend.
1. Chapter 1

**Whoo! I finally got around to working on this story. Snow Bros is kind of a stupid title, but I couldn't think of anything more creative or interesting. Sorry for making you wait for this (if you were anticipating this story). This is a sequel to _Resurrection _and _'Til Death Do We Meet_. If you read those two first (especially _Resurrection_) somethings will make more sense. I know that I'm not the most descriptive author, so the characters' might not be described as well in this story since it is a sequel. ****If not, I hope I explained things well enough. I also didn't know whether or not to consider this a crossover or just one category. Besides all that, enjoy! :)**

**Chapter One: Making Memories, Making Friends.**

Loki wandered the streets wearing a black leather jacket over a dark green hoodie with black jeans and high tops. It was a year after The Snap, but the damage was still affecting people. Laws were stricter and enforced more. People who suspected strange and alien activity had to report it to the authorities. Those with enhanced abilities had to be registered through the Sokovia Accords.

Loki had recently bought a home near Seattle, Washington in hopes to live a regular life. So far the Avengers and the law hadn't noticed and his kids were fitting in perfectly. Thor had promised to keep quiet about his location. Even Jormungandr (the one who was always last to agree to things unless it involved fighting) said that he liked the place, mostly because of a _huge_ skateboard park near their two story, Villa-style home.

The house was located in a small residential part of Seattle, Washington. A few trees decorated the front lawn. The house faced the north and the street after driving up a long driveway. There was a fence around it to keep out trespassers and anyone else who was unwanted. The house had a decent-sized pool in the large backyard and a basketball hoop in the front yard. There was a dining room, two master bedrooms and bathrooms, two bedrooms upstairs with two more on the main level. Two more bathrooms were located with one on each level. The living room was connected with the kitchen. There was a downstairs, but it was empty and they still had yet to find a purpose for it. The garage was large enough to fit three vehicles comfortably. Overall, it was a fairly expensive house, but it fit for a prince.

Loki had woken up extra early that morning to check out the area; seeing the sights and finding out spots that were safe for his family to go without starting a fight (sorry Jormungandr) or getting caught by police. He had spent a couple hours walking around the city and it was getting close to noon, so he headed back home.

"_By the Norns! I need to learn how to drive,"_ Loki thought, his right knee hurting from when he dislocated it earlier that year.

Loki turned a corner and smacked right into another man. He was wearing a gray jacket and a black baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

"Sorry," the man grunted and avoiding eye contact, left quickly enough to cause Loki to become suspicious.

"I wonder what he's up too?" Loki thought and stared at the man's tense shoulders. Loki caught a glint of silver where the man's left hand should've been.

"Huh," Loki said and turned back the direction he was originally facing.

Needless to say, Loki was fitting right in.

/\/\/\/\

Loki was barely inside the door when he was greeted by a kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend, Sigyn. Her violet eyes were shining brightly with untold news.

"Guess what happened!" Sigyn said.

"I don't know. What?" Loki asked as he shrugged off his hoodie.

Sigyn rolled her eyes. "Guess, silly."

Loki thought for a moment. "You managed to find a school that all four of the kids actually agree on?"

"No, not yet," Sigyn answered and grinned, showing off her cute dimples. "I got accepted to work as a clinical nurse specialist!" She whipped out a folder from behind her back.

Loki took it from her hands and flipped through the pages. "Really? That's wonderful!"

"I know!" Sigyn started bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. "I start next Monday."

Loki leaned forward to kiss her on the lips. "They accepted you even though you aren't a legal adult yet?"

Sigyn stopped bouncing and shuffled her feet. "I told them that I'm twenty five. The fake college diploma worked. Loki, I hate lying to get a job." Sigyn's lips turned into a frown. Loki wrapped his arms around her.

"It's alright. You do have education in the field of healing, it's just not from a college. Or this planet," Loki added.

She hugged Loki back and looked up into his face. "I know, but it's just not the same thing." She sighed. "I should go wake the kids." She let go of Loki and turned towards the stairs, but Loki caught her wrist before she could take another step.

"No, you go rest. You've been up all night," Loki said.

Sigyn knit her eyebrows. "You were up at the same time as me."

"Yes, but I wasn't worrying over a résumé or how the job interview might go. I'm fine. You need a rest so you aren't tired out before you start your new job," Loki insisted.

"Fine." Sigyn kissed Loki on the cheek and headed upstairs to their bedroom. Loki set the job folder on the kitchen counter and went to wake the kids. Although they didn't own many things, they still had a lot of unpacking to do. It would be best to get it done as soon as possible.

/\/\/\/\

"Fenris!" Sleipnir shouted. The youngest boy didn't reply to his older brother's angry shout. "Get over here and fix this!"

Fenris poked his head out of the upstairs bathroom. "Fix what?" he asked innocently.

Sleipnir stormed out of his bedroom and pointed at his hair. His usually black hair that faded out to brown was a bright pink color. "This! Fix. _This_."

Fenris hid his smirk behind his hand. He faked a cough. "Well, I didn't know you were going through a Barbie faze. I gotta say, it really doesn't suit you," Fenris said, trying hard to keep a straight face.

Sleipnir let out an angry laugh. "Doesn't suit me, huh? Maybe it's because I hate the color pink...AND YOU DYED IT THAT WAY!"

Fenris took a step back at his brother's outburst. "Whoa. Chill out. I'll fix it."

"Yeah, you better or you aren't allowed in my room again," Sleipnir snapped.

Fenris held up his hands in mock surrender. "We share the same room, stupid."

"Don't call me stupid," Sleipnir jabbed a finger into Fenris' chest. "You're just lucky it was me you pranked instead of Jormungandr."

"I'm not an idiot. I would _never_ do that to him. Everyone knows not to mess with his hair. I may be a jokester, but I'm not suicidal?"

"Suicidal? Is there something that you're hiding, Fenris?" Hela asked as she leaned against her bedroom door at the end of the hallway. "Nice hair, big bro." She grinned.

"That is Fenris' fault," Sleipnir huffed.

"Hey, it washes out. Do you really think that I would permanently dye your hair pink?" Fenris questioned.

"Yes," Sleipnir said flatly.

Hela covered her mouth in fake surprise. "Ooh! Looks like someone's got trust issues!" She laughed.

"He's the reason why I have trust issues. Him and his stupid pranks." Sleipnir glared at his little brother.

Fenris shrugged tiredly. "Well, what did you expect? Afterall, we _are_ the kids of the God of _freaking_ Mischief."

Sleipnir opened his mouth to reply, but reconsidered his choice. "Whatever. I'm going to get this 'prank' out of my hair." He shoved Fenris aside and stomped into the bathroom.

"I can help if you want," Fenris suggested.

Sleipnir turned on his heel to glare at him. "Yeah, not happening! And stay away from my stuff!" He slammed the door shut. A moment later, the two younger kids could hear water running.

Fenris raised his eyebrows in slight shock. "That went well. Did that go well?" Fenris asked his younger sister who shrugged.

"Beats me. All that I care about is not having a full-on WWE wrestling contest outside my room when _Friends_ is on." Hela turned and headed back inside her room.

Fenris let out a low whistle and looked over the balcony. Sigyn and Loki were busy unpacking the kitchen supplies. There were at least a dozen more boxes that waited to be unpacked. He decided he should probably help.

Fenris was halfway down the stairs when Jormungandr jogged past carrying a large box. Fenris didn't see him come in.

"Guess what just came in!" Jormungandr stopped on the stairs, his grin barely able to be seen over the box.

"You?" Fenris guessed.

"Nope! The _X-Box_! Now we can try out all those awesome games I've been hearing about!" Jormungandr gave a lopsided smile, a feature that rarely adorned his face.

Fenris' chocolate brown eyes lit up. "Cool!"

Jormungandr bounded up the rest of the stairs. He paused at the top and motioned for Fenris to follow. "Come on! Aren't you going to help set it up? You're more techy than me."

"Don't we have to help unpack?" Fenris asked.

Jormungandr waved away the questioned. "Nah! We'll only get in the way."

Fenris glanced back down in the kitchen. Two boxes were already empty of its contents. Jormungandr was right. Why waste the afternoon getting the way of his father and Sigyn when he could be doing something fun? Fenris sprinted after Jormungandr into their room. Everything was just perfect at the moment.

/\/\/\/\

Supper was a quick meal consisting of delivered pizza and pop. The dining room fit everyone nicely. Two windows looked out to the backyard with one larger window on facing the east. The setting sun cast warm shadows over the brick fireplace. Already there were pictures hanging on the mantel and knick-knacks on top.

The table was made from dark brown wood, complete with matching chairs. The table fit ten people comfortably, even though it was just Sigyn, Loki, and the kids at the moment. Pietro Maximoff, Hela's dead boyfriend said he would try to make it over as often as he can. There was even a bedroom set up for him the main floor. Thor wasn't coming over until next week; he was busy on a mission, so it was just the six of them.

"So, how was your first time eating pizza?" Hela asked nobody in particular.

Sigyn took a sip of her lemonade before answering. "Not bad, considering it was very greasy and delivered in a beat-up vehicle," she replied.

"Eh. It's alright. Even though I said I could cook something tonight," Loki said.

"It was a good thing we ordered pizza. Do you remember last night?" Sigyn asked jokingly. Loki looked up from his plate, confusion written over his face. "You burnt water trying to make macaroni and cheese. _Burnt. Water."_

Hela almost choked on her pop from laughter. Fenris accidentally spilt his own drink on his pants. Even Sleipnir, whose hair was back to his natural color, and Jormungandr burst out laughing. Loki's guilty expression, frozen halfway through a bite of pizza, was hilarious.

Loki chewed quickly and held up a finger in protest. "In my defense, I have never cooked anything before in my life," Loki stated.

Sigyn smiled in reply. "Excuses."

"It's true…" Loki looked back down at his plate. Hela coughed and raised a hand tentatively.

"Completely off topic, but what are we going to do with the extra room?" Hela asked.

Sigyn and Loki glanced at each other.

"It can be a guest bedroom?" Sigyn suggested.

"When are we ever going to have guests?" Loki asked.

Sigyn shrugged. "I don't know." She grabbed another slice of pizza. "We still have a lot of unpacking to do. And if we get it done soon, we could actually have time to do something fun together instead of sitting in our rooms playing video games when we were supposed to be helping."

Fenris and Jormungandr froze and shared a quick glance. It wasn't direct but the statement was clearly for them.

"But Hela was watching _Friends_," Jormungandr complained.

"Hela asked if she could finish her episode, and I said yes. She came down to help when it was over. I had asked you both several times and you didn't respond. Instead you were playing video games and pranking your brother, which slowed the process even more," Loki said.

Fenris stared at his plate. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Sorry," Jormungandr added apologetically.

Loki sighed. "It's alright, but don't do it again. You will get plenty of time to set up your games."

It was quiet except for the chirping of birds outside the window and the sounds of dinner.

"Sooo…" Hela said quietly, breaking the silence. "How was your adventure earlier, dad?"

Loki shrugged. "It was nice. There is plenty of people, so it's easier to blend in. Seattle is a nice city. We just have to watch out for enforcement and the stricter laws. There's a park just down the street and a library a couple blocks down. And Hela, there's a Starbucks within walking distance."

Hela grinned. "Perfect!"

"You still have to decide on a school," Sigyn pointed out. "We're not home schooling you and the law will probably question us if you are not in school."

"But why?" Jormungandr complained.

"Because it's the law and we don't want to deal with that," Loki answered. "Besides, it's fun to learn new things and we'll fit in better if we understand more about Earth. The best weapon anyone can have is knowledge. Knowledge is power and one day you will need to get a job. I heard that it's kind of hard to get a job without an education."

Jormungandr frowned sullenly. He didn't look happy about it.

"Are we going to a high school?" Fenris asked.

"Yes, you're a look too old to go to an elementary school," Sigyn said.

"Yeah, but I'm technically not an teenager yet," Hela pointed out.

"They won't know that," Loki said.

"I thought that lying is wrong," Sleipnir muttered.

Loki set his arms on the table and leaned forward. "Son, sometimes we have to tell a little white lie to survive. Would you rather lie about your age or spend the rest of your life locked up in a very secure prison for super villains?" Loki asked.

Sleipnir sighed. Although he was a son of the trickster god, he didn't like lying or deceiving others. "But technically you and mom are not legal adults either. How is that going to work?"

Sigyn and Loki shared a glance. "We'll just keep quiet about our ages. We do look older than we actually are. Asgardians are just different than humans. We're just genetically enhanced and born to live longer."

"I could always say that I graduated early since I am planning on taking online college classes," Loki suggested.

"First you have to figure out how a computer works," Hela said teasingly.

"Hey, watch it!" Loki scolded lightly. Nevertheless, he laughed, causing everyone else to join in.

Their whole situation was different and strange, but they would figure it out eventually.

It was nice to worry about something other than dying for a change...

**The next chapter is coming soon! And I am sooo hyped for Avengers Endgame! I can't wait for it! Ugh! Why does it seem like I have to wait forever?**

**Also, on a side note, Disney and Marvel approved a Falcon and Winter Solider TV series. I can't for that as well! Please review and tell what you think of this story so far.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the wait. Things got busy since I missed some school because of track meets. Also, Avenges Endgame is coming out tomorrow! I can't wait! What are you most excited for in Avengers Endgame? Leave a review! I'm most excited for Tony and Steve teaming up again and hopefully Loki comes back.**

**Chapter Two: What the Buck?!**

Bucky was doing some grocery shopping in Bucharest, Romania when he felt a wave of nausea roll over him. He rushed into an alleyway in hopes to find a garbage can when the whole world started spinning. The motion and blur of colors was too much, causing Bucky to black out.

When he woke up, he was laying on a park bench in Seattle, Washington. He could clearly see the Space Needle from the bench, the lights that were on during the night were shining brightly. There was no mistaking that he was in Seattle.

"What the hell?" Bucky asked out loud. It was a weird situation but at least he wasn't nauseous anymore.

Bucky dug his phone out of his inside jacket pocket. It ten o'clock at night, meaning it was eight o'clock in the morning in Bucharest. Bucky sighed and pocketed his phone. His phone was new. There was no way that it would lie.

He sighed tiredly at his current problem. Whatever had transported him here was gone. There was no way back home to his apartment.

Bucky stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and walked into the city. Maybe he could find answers there.

/\/\/\/\

He was tired of walking. There was nothing in Seattle that could explain why he was transported halfway across the world in the span of a few seconds. Bucky tried calling Steve for help, but his phone had died around eight that morning after hours of using it as a map. He would have to figure this out on his own.

Bucky's stomach suddenly growled. He guessed it was time for breakfast, and maybe a nap. The time zone difference was starting to get to him. He pulled open the door to a coffee shop and ended up leaving with several bagels and a bottle of water. He finished his breakfast at a park and decided to find a comfortable, safe place to at least take a break.

This problem was going to be tough to solve. He didn't have enough money for a plane ticket and there was no way he was going to ride a ship across the ocean. The Avengers headquarters was too far and too expensive for a car ride. He also didn't trust modern cars, the technology was confusing and he heard of people with hacked cars getting into accidents.

Bucky pulled his baseball cap lower over his eyes. He hated being out in public a lot. It increased his chance of being caught by police, or Hydra. Despite his connection to the Avengers and helping take down Thanos, he was still wanted for murder and violating the Sokovia Accords. Steve had told him that the government wanted to give him a trial, but Bucky didn't want to risk the chance of losing the court case. He decided that it was easier to hide.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he wasn't looking where he was going. He turned a corner too close to the wall and bumped into another man.

"Sorry," Bucky muttered as he continued to walk; his stride too long for anyone not to be suspicious. The other man didn't reply, however, Bucky felt eyes on him. He had to get out of Seattle soon.

/\/\/\/\

He decided to head back to the park. The trees had bright red, orange, and yellow leaves. Leaves covered the sidewalk as the autumn breeze shook them off the branches.

The sun was rising in the blue sky. A few leaves rustled on the ground. The park was fairly empty. Only a few people were out walking. Everyone was either at work or school, despite the nice weather.

Bucky found the bench that he had woken up on. It looked normal- the wooden bench had a couple bird splatterings, but otherwise it was clean.

"_What the hell am I supposed to do?"_ Bucky thought. He was getting frustrated. He didn't like being stuck in a new area.

Bucky found a clean spot on the bench and sat down. He pulled out his phone, even though it was dead. He assessed his situation:

First of all, he had somehow transported halfway across the world in the matter of seconds. There was no way back through. The only way would to get a ride back or find the nearest phone to contact Steve.

Bucky checked his wallet. He had a few coins, enough to use a pay phone.

He got up and went in search of a phone booth. There weren't that many around anymore, which frustrated him. He couldn't charge his phone, either, since he didn't have a charger cord.

After searching for a while, he eventually found a pay phone that actually worked. It was in a secluded part of the city, but it was fine.

Bucky inserted the coins, dialed Steve's number, and waited...

"_You have reached a secure phone line. You should not have this number," _an automated voice said before the line went dead.

"Dammit," Bucky muttered. He forgot that all Avengers phones were shared on a secure network and that Steve wouldn't pick up the phone to any strange number.

He was stuck. And he _hated _it.

/\/\/\/\

The sun was being to set. Bucky had spent the rest of the day wandering around Seattle, trying to figure out a way back to Bucharest.

He had moved back into his apartment a few months earlier, when Tony threw such a fuss about Bucky living in the same building as him. Steve had tried to talk to Tony, but Bucky had told his friend that it was fine. He didn't want to be in the same building with someone who glared at him every time they were same room. Tony still resented him, but Bucky didn't blame him. Steve was afraid that Tony would relapse and possibly attack Bucky again if they didn't get him out of there. Steve suggested that he move in with him, but Bucky said it was fine living in his apartment by himself.

And it was that apartment that Bucky was starting to miss. It wasn't in the best condition, but it was home. It was familiar; Seattle wasn't. He had never been to Washington, let alone Seattle. The whole area was new and quite frightening.

Suddenly, a loud police siren wailed through the air. Bucky, who was walking alone on a small, dark side street, perked up and immediately checked his surroundings.

The street was lit up with red and blue lights as two police cars turned onto to the street. Bucky tried to remain calm, but his guilt for a crime that he did not commit caused him to start running. The police chased him, obviously finding their "suspect."

Bucky turned a corner and ran straight into another man. The man clearly had been running as well. One glance around the corner showed two more police cars speeding down the street, trapping the two men.

Bucky, for reasons he did not understand, grabbed the other man by the arm and pulled him into the nearest alley way. Together, they ran between the two buildings until another wave of nausea washed over Bucky.

He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, he was standing in his apartment in Bucharest.

"What the hell?!" Bucky exclaimed.

The other man was standing there, in shock, as well. He was clutching his right knee as if it hurt.

Of all the things that he had been through, Bucky put this strange teleporting occurrence at towards the top of his list.

He knew it was his apartment: the newspapers covering the windows, the mismatched furniture, the mattress and sleeping bag for a bed…

But how in the world did he get back here?

"Where are we?" the other man asked, causing Bucky to turn.

The man was wearing a black jeans, a black leather jacket over a green hoodie, and… were those _Air Jordans_? Bucky couldn't see the man's face very well since he had his hood up, but he could tell that the man had a pale complexion.

Bucky's right hand rested gently over the gun that he had tucked in the waistband of his jeans.

"Who are you?" Bucky questioned.

The other man ignored the question. "What type of sorcery is this? I can not sense any magical presence on you."

"Sorcery? What?" Bucky was confused. What was the man talking about? The only people that he knew used magic was Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff. Unless…

"Loki?!"

**More coming soon! I hope you enjoyed. Please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I got a review asking about Nari and Vari (Loki's kids that he has with Sigyn). They are not in this story for two reasons 1) Sigyn and Loki are dating, not married and 2) I haven't come up with character designs or personalities for them and I don't plan on doing so anytime soon. Sorry to disappoint anyone who want to see them, but I'm just staying the four kids in this story.**

**I also got asked about why Sigyn and Loki seem underage (or not legal adults). If you Google _how old is Loki, _****it says that in human years, he is 17. I know that sounds weird and strange, but that is not necessarily the case in this story (and other stories that I write). Infinity War, Thor said that he was 1,500 years old. I always made him out to be three years older than Loki, so going by Google's research, Thor is 20. I did some math (which is a big deal for me since I hate math) and figured out that every 75 years on Earth (Midgard) is a year in Asgard if I wanted to got with Thor being 20 and Loki 17. Time works differently on Asgard and their aging process. Overall, Sigyn and Loki (and Thor) are younger than they seem. If you want to do the math with the kids, go right ahead. (Sleipnir is the oldest, Jormungandr is younger by a year, Fenris is a year younger than Jormy, and Hela is two years younger than Fenris).**

**TL;DR: Asgardians are younger than they appear.**

**Chapter 3: Now You're Thinking With Portals**

The person in question spread his arms in acknowledgment.

"I suppose that is who I am-"

Loki was cut off as Bucky whipped his gun out, aimed it at Loki, and pulled the trigger. Loki barely even flinched as the bullet hit him square in the chest, and fell harmlessly to the floor.

"Sergeant Barnes, isn't it?" Loki asked, completely ignoring the fact that Bucky shot him.

"It's Bucky," Bucky corrected, his pistol still aimed at Loki.

Loki noted Bucky's defensive stance. The soldier was ready for a fight.

Loki held his hands up in surrender. "I do not want to fight you."

"Steve said that you were dead," Bucky stated.

"Well, surprise?" Loki said.

"How…"

"Long story. Thor knows. Nobody else does, and I would like to keep it that way."

"The government wants you in their custody," Bucky pointed out.

"As we both know, so do you. We're not so different, aren't we?"

"I'm _nothing_ like you! I don't kill people for fun, and-"

"And you don't know the full story! What is with you Avengers and judging people off of so little facts? You-"

Bucky suddenly lunged at Loki. He was tired of the talking and he wanted to help the Avengers out with bringing Loki in. Loki sidestepped Bucky and danced out of the way.

"Really, Barnes? I thought you were better than this," Loki taunted.

"I _am_ better, you're just worse," Bucky said. "You're a criminal."

"And you're not?" Loki questioned and ducked as Bucky swung at him with his vibranium arm. "If the government doesn't want you, why are you hiding?"

"How you know that I'm hiding?"

"Because I'm just like you!" Loki exclaimed. Bucky shot him again, but it still did nothing, even at a closer range. "Thor told me what you went through. I can relate."

Bucky remained silent. He fought Loki, trying to bring him down. Loki, who was blocking his every move, went on the defense.

Bucky realized that his gun was doing nothing and tucked it back in his jeans. He pulled out a knife and swiped at Loki. Loki caught his arm, twisted it, and removed the knife from Bucky's grip. Loki kicked it across the floor and brought both hands up to block Bucky's assault.

"Just let me explain!" Loki said. A sharp undercut from Bucky's vibranium fist knocked Loki back a few steps. He grunted and rubbed his jaw.

"Ow," Loki complained. Bucky led with a strong right and followed up with a left. Loki caught his left before he could hit him. Bucky grabbed Loki's left arm as well, and they stopped as they both refused to let go.

Loki grunted as Bucky yanked on his arm. Loki's grip tightened on Bucky's metal arm.

Loki's hood had fallen back, revealing his short, curly hair that barely reached the base of his neck.

"What happened to your hair?" Bucky asked, mostly to himself but Loki heard.

"The two people whom I hate the most liked my long hair, so it's here to stay," Loki stated bitterly. "One of them is dead, but it's nice to do something just to spite them."

Bucky had to appreciate that. Loki did look good with his shorter haircut, but that was off topic.

"What are you doing here?" Bucky questioned, bringing the real issue back around.

"Let me explain, and then I'll leave."

Bucky glared at Loki, light blue eyes meeting emerald green.

"Fine," Bucky growled. "You have five minutes before I turn you into the Avengers." He let go of Loki's arm. Loki did the same and stepped back away from Bucky.

"I am just as confused as you. I don't know how we got here. All I was doing was going for a walk when you showed up," Loki explained.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth? What if this is a trap?"

"If I wanted you dead, you would be dead by now," Loki stated while rolling his eyes.

Something inside Bucky said that Loki was telling the truth. He didn't trust many people that often, but he felt like he could trust Loki. He knew that he probably shouldn't and that it was a stupid and dangerous decision, but his gut instinct told him differently. There was a connection between them both that they yet to figure out.

Bucky sighed. He winced as a sharp pain in his side that he hadn't noticed before caught his attention.

"You're bleeding," Loki noted out loud.

He was. There was a rather deep cut on his left side. Blood had already soaked through his red flannel and undershirt. He must have been cut during the fight.

Loki handed Bucky a towel. Bucky gladly took it and pressed it against his wound.

"So, now what?" Bucky asked.

"You should probably get that checked out. My girlfriend is a healer; she could help-"

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit the two men. Bucky collapsed onto his knees. Loki held onto the table for support.

A blinding light knocked them both unconscious as a portal opened under them, sending them flying through space and time.

/\/\/\/\

They woke up in the front yard of Loki's house. Loki was already up, but he was clutching his right knee as if it hurt.

A basketball hoop hung on a pole on the concrete in front of the three-doored garage. A large maple shaded a considerable amount of the front-yard. Flowers near the windows swayed in the wind.

Bucky groaned and wobbled to his feet.

"What the hell was that?" Bucky asked.

Loki glanced around. "I don't know. It wasn't me."

Bucky groaned as his wound seeped more blood. The white towel was quickly turning red.

Loki motioned for Bucky to follow him inside. "Sigyn will help you," Loki explained as he opened the dark brown door and held it open for Bucky.

Bucky stepped inside and froze.

The entryway opened up to the living room and the kitchen. Overhead cabinets and a marble countertop rested on the left of the main door. An island countertop table stood next to stools. A door directly left of the entryway led to the garage. Past the kitchenette, a slide door led to the large backyard. The dining room was just left of that.

The living room was a mess. Cardboard boxes littered the dark, wooden floor. A blue couch and several recliners sat on the gray carpet in front of the large flat-screen TV and a couple of empty bookshelves.

A bedroom's door off of the open living room led to an empty bedroom. A bathroom was on the far side of the room on the same side as the two bedrooms. The pantry and laundry room was walled in, making a smaller room near the back door and bathroom. The second bedroom door was almost directly underneath the stairs that led up to the second floor and balcony. The balcony looked down over the living room and front door. Four bedrooms and a bathroom were located upstairs. The ceiling was vaulted and the whole house felt open and roomy.

But that wasn't way Bucky froze.

It looked like a tornado swept through the house. Blood and scuff marks covered the white walls. Picture frames on the walls hung sideways. One window in the living room was broken. Several stools were overturned. There was a giant hole on the wall that divided the laundry room from the bigger room that looked like someone swung a sword and missed.

"What the hell?" Bucky exclaimed out loud. He heard Loki gasp behind him. Loki pushed past the other man and ran up the stairs.

"Sigyn! Hela? Sleipnir? Anyone? Oh please, Norns no!" Loki shouted, his cries full of concern.

As Loki panicked upstairs and searched through each room, Bucky investigated downstairs. It was evident that there was a fight. Bucky pulled his gun out of his jeans and carefully pushed open the back door.

"Loki? You better see this!" Bucky shouted.

Loki sprinted back downstairs, having finding nothing, and joined Bucky on the backyard pool deck.

"What?" Loki asked, worry more obvious in his voice.

Bucky stared out at the yard. Loki turned to follow his gaze.

In the middle of the green grass, a large symbol had been burned. A circle with a smaller circle inside covered most of the yard. Four smaller circles connected by an X, which met in the middle of the smallest circle. A square boxed in the X and circles. Ancient letters adorned the outside on each side of the square.

"No, no, no!" Loki cried. He knew the symbol. He suddenly started to feel sick and lightheaded.

"Loki?" Bucky turned to the prince. Loki was shaking and it looked like he was going to faint.

"It can't be; he's dead. He's dead! He can't-" Loki choked out. His knees gave out underneath him. Bucky caught him before his hit the ground and helped him into a sitting position.

"Who's dead? What is it? You know the symbol, what does it mean?" Bucky questioned and held Loki up from falling backwards.

Loki shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and shake the bad feeling from his head.

"'The Mark-'" Loki started, but his breathing hitched.

"Hey," Bucky said, placing both hands on Loki's shoulders. "This is no place or time to have a panic attack. Who is it? Who did this?"

"Stones...death...pain…" Loki muttered. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his head in his hands. He shook his head again. "Not again. He's dead...dead...stones...death...no…"

Then it clicked. Bucky raised his head and stared at the giant symbol.

Stones, death, it all made sense now.

Bucky practically growled in anger and realization. "Thanos..."

**The end of school is fast approaching, so that means capstones (stupid projects in every class in replacement of semester tests) are going to stress me out again. Due to the fact that I will have less time and energy to update, I am making an apology ahead of time if I can't update as much. I wish my school didn't do capstone (they claim that colleges do them, but they really don't). There is also a huge schedule change for the next school year, so I have to see how that plays out with time, motivation, energy, and homework. All that aside, please review. If you a question, comment, or concern, leave a review. Also, try not to spoil Endgame. I've seen it, but I don't know who hasn't. Since anyone can read the reviews (there aren't many, but whatever) please avoid spoilers. Thank you! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I finally got some free time to update, so here's the next chapter. ****There are some mild spoilers for Avengers Endgame. It's mostly just subtle references, but be warned! You can skip this chapter if you want, but the spoilers are so subtle that you probably won't tell that they are spoilers. Just as a warning, if you haven't seen Endgame, bring tissues. I cried, my dad cried, and practically everyone in my school who saw it cried. It's a really good movie, and I recommend that you see it if you haven't.**

**Chapter Four: Panic Attacks and Plans**

Loki was having a panic attack. It had been almost a year since Thanos's assault on the Earth, but it was still fresh in his mind. All the terrors, pain, and agony that he experienced in the Void came rushing back, gripping Loki in a rough grasp. He was shaking, no someone was shaking _him._

"Loki!" someone was shouting. Then that someone slapped him, violently sending him back to reality.

A face swum into view. The man had chocolate brown hair that barely brushed his shoulders, a beard, and intense, light blue eyes. A name connected with the face.

"Bucky?" Loki muttered, his eyes still slightly unfocused.

"Yeah, it's me. We officially met just about ten minutes ago, but whatever. You need to snap out of it," Bucky ordered gently.

"_Snap_. Yes, the _Snap…_" Loki started mumbling to himself again.

"Hey," Bucky grabbed Loki's jaw and turned his face to look at him. "It was a poor choice of words, alright. But right now, I need to you focus. Whoever this Sigyn person is and several people whom you apparently care about are missing. They _need_ you to focus."

The mention of Sigyn shattered Loki's daze and he slowly came back.

"Sigyn?" Loki asked tentatively.

Bucky nodded and helped Loki stand up. "Yes! Now, where do you think they went?"

"I don't know," Loki admitted. He hung his head.

"Can't you just use your magic to track them?" Bucky pointed out.

Loki shook his head. "No. If I use my magic, it sends a beacon out to everyone who can sense magic. The last thing we want is a whole army of..._his_ followers attacking us," Loki explained. "I was always told that my magic has a powerful aura, which is very easy to track."

"Why don't you use your magic to _hide_ your magic?" Bucky asked.

"It doesn't work like that," Loki replied.

"Then how does it work?"

"You have no understanding of how magic works, do you?" Loki questioned.

Bucky shook his head.

"Then let me tell you, if you were not born with it, then it's nearly impossible to understand or weild. I will have to find them the old fashioned way," Loki said.

"_We_ will find them," Bucky added.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "We?"

Bucky nodded. "Yeah."

"You tried to kill me not too long ago," Loki pointed out.

Bucky shrugged. "For some stupid reason, I trust you; and that is _really_ hard for me to do. I know how you feel and I want to help. Family is important, I know that much. If you don't want me, that's fine."

Loki paused in thought. He really needed the help. He didn't want to face..._him_ again-alone. The more people who got involved the better.

"Alright, but we're going to need some extra assistance."

/\/\/\/\

A black, 2018 Cobra Mustang with dark green racing stripes squealed to a halt in the parking lot of a small library near downtown Seattle. Two men who were nearby looked up as the driver and passenger doors opened.

"You know what, I take back everything that I have against modern cars. This one is a beauty!" Bucky announced and closed the driver's door with emphasis.

Loki, who gracefully stood up from the passenger's side, chuckled softly to himself.

The man who was perched on the edge of the stone wall surrounding the entrance of the library hopped off and joined the ex-villains. The man had white-blonde hair, a small goatee/beard, and sparkling blue eyes. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a gray hoodie, and running shoes.

"So, he's joining us?" the man called.

"I suppose so," Loki replied.

The new man extended his hand towards Bucky who tentatively took it.

"Pietro Maximoff," the man said. "And you are?"

"Bucky Barnes," Bucky replied. He tilted his head in confusion. "Aren't you dead?"

Pietro let go of Bucky's hand. "Yeah, drop-_dead _handsome!" Pietro joked, causing Bucky to raise an eyebrow. "Nah, really, I'm kind of in between because of Hela."

"Hela?" Bucky asked.

"His girlfriend," Loki said casually as if being half dead/half alive and dating the queen of Valhalla was an everyday experience.

"I've met her. In the Soul Stone," Bucky added. "She seemed nice. Kind of scary, but nice."

"Yeah, she's a sweetheart," Pietro said, smiling.

The fourth man got up from his spot on the bench. "Brother!" the man called, causing Loki to turn.

"Thor, thank you for coming here so quickly," Loki said as Thor made his way over to the trio.

His hair was cut short like it had been on Sakaar. He was wearing jeans, a blue shirt, and a gray jacket. His abs had come back, and his muscles were back to normal. His happy and carefree personality had also returned.

"Of course." Thor smiled gently at his brother. "I would do anything for you; and to hear that my niece and nephews, and not to mention, Sigyn, are missing, I'd drop anything to help save them."

"Thank you," Loki said. Thor smiled down at his brother. It was evident that the brothers were back being, well, brothers.

"Not to ruin the wonderful brotherly moment that you two are having right now, but Loki believes that someone dangerous might be involved with this...kidnapping," Bucky mentioned.

Thor turned to stare at the former soldier. "And who might it be?"

The intense gaze made Bucky hesitate. He noticed that both of Thor's eyes were blue, instead of the right one being brown. When had that happened?

"We're not positive, but we think that Thanos-"

As soon as Thanos' name was uttered, a loud clap of thunder shook the ground. Thor's eyes blazed with anger and Loki flinched backward.

"What does that psychopath have to do with this?! He's dead!" Thor shouted.

Bucky took a step back and held up his hands in an attempt to show Thor that he didn't mean harm. Pietro's eyes widened and he wisely backed up as well.

"There was a large symbol burned into the grass in the backyard of his house. Loki recognized it and confirmed that it was Thanos'," Bucky explained.

The anger in Thor's eyes dialed down only a bit, but it was enough.

"Maybe you should not come with us," Thor told Loki.

"Why?" Loki asked.

"Because the last time that we faced Thanos, I lost you! I don't want to go through that again!" Thor admitted desperately.

Pietro whistled low under his breath, which only made the situation worse. Both Thor and Loki turned to glare at him. Pietro quickly found something else to look at.

Loki sighed. "I'm not leaving Sigyn and the kids in danger. They're _my_ family, and if..._he_ took them, then _he_ is going to pay. This a risk that I'm willing to take as long as I know that they are safe and alive," Loki argued. "And you can't stop me from trying."

Loki crossed his arms in front of his chest, ending the conversation. Thor calmed down, but he still seemed upset, and rightfully so. Thanos had caused enough chaos and suffering, and if there was a chance that he might be alive, was terrifying.

"Are there any clues to where they went?" Pietro asked, trying to change the conversation to one where they wouldn't get electrocuted to death.

"Only the symbol and that the house is a mess," Loki said. "At least they put up a fight. If they did, then there's a chance that we might beat whoever did this."

"Yeah, but how are we going to find them?" Bucky asked. "We can't use magic, and I doubt that this is on the news. We're the only ones who are looking for them."

"What about Valhalla? Pietro, why don't you go to Valhalla to see where they are?" Loki asked Pietro. "Hela usually does that to find souls that are missing."

Pietro shook his head. "I can't. Hela is in control of the gates; the only way into Valhalla is through her help. And since I technically exist in the Land of the Living, if I die here, I'm gone for good. But that's something that I'm willing to ignore for Hela's safety," Pietro stated.

"What about tracking-" Thor started.

"Tracking spells are out of the picture since it involves magic," Loki interrupted. "I don't more enemies knowing our whereabouts. And plus, if we find them, we might lead a whole army to their location. The last thing that we and the whole Earth needs is another alien invasion."

"New Asgard?" Thor suggested.

"I don't want Valkyrie in on this. Technically I'm supposed to be dead, and the kids aren't supposed to exist. I'd like to keep it that way," Loki said.

Thor threw up his hands in frustration. "Then what?! We have no way to find them and basically zero clues to where they might be!"

Bucky pursed his lips in thought. An idea suddenly popped into his head. "What if we borrow some of the Avengers' tech and use that to track energy signatures. The portals that are showing up everywhere might be connected with this," Bucky suggested.

"Portals?" Pietro asked.

"Yeah, portals. My apartment is in Bucharest, Romania; that's on the other side of the world. How else did I get here so fast?" Bucky explained.

Loki held up a hand. "Wait a minute. Maybe the portals brought us together for a reason. This isn't on the news, and it seems to have only affected us."

It was a crazy theory, even for them, but nothing could be ruled out as a possibility this early. It was quiet as the quartet thought about how they would find Sigyn and the kids.

"Using the Avengers technology is not such a bad idea," Thor spoke up after a few painfully quiet minutes of deep thought passed amongst the group.

"Do you even know how to use modern technology?" Loki asked.

"No," Thor admitted.

Loki looked at Bucky, waiting for an answer to an unspoken question.

"No," Bucky said firmly. "I haven't been at the Avengers headquarters in a long time, and I'm sure they would question me if I suddenly just show up and ask to use a bunch of technology that I have no clue how to use."

"What if you ask Steve?" Pietro suggested.

Bucky frowned slightly. An unreadable expression flashed in his eyes. "He barely knows how to use a smartphone; he's out of the question."

Loki noticed that Bucky grew a bit stiff at the mention of Steve, but he left it alone. If Bucky and Steve were going through something, then it was a personal issue that Loki didn't want to get into with someone whom he just met.

"Then I suppose that breaking into the Avengers headquarters is the most reasonable solution," Loki said.

Thor sighed. "I really don't like it."

"I don't like it either. Believe me, I'd much rather stay away from the Avengers at all costs, but this is the only good idea that we have," Loki said.

Pietro raised his hand like he was a student in class waiting to be called on by the teacher.

"How are we going to break into the Avengers headquarters? I'm sure they tightened and improved security since the Snap," Pietro pointed out.

A mischievous grin spread across Loki's face. "Don't worry. I've got a plan."

**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**** SPOILERS!**

**I want to explain some parts of this chapter, WARNING SPOILERS!**

**Alright, for starters, I wanted Thor's eyes to be the same color again. Since Sigyn is a healer, she healed his eye, which is implied. Loki has short hair, which will make better sense if you read **_Resurrection_**. Pietro and Hela are dating, which, once again, will make more sense if you read **_'Til Death Do We Meet. _**Thor is back to his muscular self since Loki is alive and made him get back in shape. All of them are still clearly shaken with the events of the Snap, but they're working on it. I also didn't really like the ending with Steve marrying Peggy. Don't get me wrong, I love Peggy and it's nice to see Steve happy and with her, but I didn't like how he pretty much abandoned Bucky. Endgame kind of happened in this story, so an argument or talk probably happened between Steve and Bucky. In this story, Bucky is still upset at Steve and they haven't talked. I plan on making a different story that follows those events after this story since I want Steve and Bucky to be happy and like brothers who don't abandon their best friend for a girl. I don't completely understand how time travel works in Endgame, but that was my depiction and understanding of what Steve did**

**On a more happy note, I got a couple chapters already done, so I will be posting those soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry about the wait. I've been busy with track and stupid capstones. All these projects are stressful and I've kind of lost motivation to write this story. I really don't know where Snow Bros is going. I know the beginning and the end, but the middle part is always the hardest.**

**Chapter Five: Dungeons and Dragons**

A painful headache pulsed at the base of Hela's neck. She groaned and flicked her raven colored hair out of her face. She sat up and surveyed her surroundings. She was still wearing her battle armor, so at least she had some protection from further attacks.

A small sliver of light shone through a crack in barred window that was set out of reach in a stone wall. Thick, metal bars made up the fourth wall of the square room. Two more stone walls separated the larger room into small compartments. Almost on sight, Hela realized that she was stuck in a medieval-like dungeon.

The air was cool and slightly damp. The metal doors were covered in condensation.

She sat up and crossed her legs Indian style. The hard floor was dirty and uncomfortable.

"Hello?" Hela whispered. There was no response, so Hela got up and carefully made her way to the bars. She peered out, but it was too dark to see anything over ten feet in front of her. In the little light from the window, she guessed that there were more little cells like hers.

A shuffling noise from the cell to the right caused Hela to scurry back into her cell. Basic instinct and several movies that she had seen told Hela to wait and not engage until she determined whether or not the situation was hostile or not.

More shuffling ensued and a loud electrifying sound accompanied with a pained "_Ow!" _rang out in the still air. Loud curses quickly followed.

Hela smiled at the comical situation; she knew who it was right away.

"Jormungandr, are you alright?" Hela called quietly through the wall.

A few more curses were uttered before she got a response.

"Don't touch the bars, sis. They're electrified," Jormungandr replied sourly.

"Shocking," Hela muttered to herself. Of course whoever their captors were would think about rigging the prison against them. She glanced around. The window was too small to crawl through. She doubted that she could punch through the stone walls. She tried shadow-traveling, but something was blocking her powers.

"Jormy, I think we're stuck," Hela said.

"You think?" Jormungandr grunted.

A loud thud quieted the two down. They could hear someone struggle to their feet. A sudden zap of energy from the electrified bars was followed by a pained "What the frick-frack?!"

Hela smirked. "The bars are electrified, Fenris."

"Yeah, I figured that out," Fenris replied, his voice a little more distant than Jormungandr's.

"Where are we?" Fenris asked.

Hela couldn't see him, but she could tell that Jormungandr shrugged.

"Who knows. Maybe if Sleipnir wakes up, he could possibly teleport us out of here," Jormungandr replied.

As if on cue, they could hear a soft groan from the cell left of Hela's. It was so quiet in the still air that they could hear the person get up.

"Sleipnir, don't touch the bars!" Fenris called.

"Duly noted," a soft, woman's voice replied.

"Sigyn?" Hela asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I suppose Sleipnir isn't awake yet?"

"Well, he _did_ get hit by the majority of the blast," Jormungandr pointed out.

He was right. The sudden ambush at home surprised all of them…

_One moment they were getting ready for bed, and the next, someone appeared in their backyard. Sigyn had noticed it first, and all she got in return was a large cut on her right arm. The kids had rushed downstairs, only to find a hooded figure in black holding an unconscious Sigyn. Jormungandr, being the short-tempered brave-heart that he was, had charged the figure. The figure, with one flick of it's wrist, had caused Jormungandr to trip and almost fall on top of his battle axe._

_Sleipnir had swung his viking long sword after the figure dropped Sigyn and went after Jormungandr, but the figure ducked and he got his sword stuck in the wall. Fenris tried to freeze the creature, with no luck._

_Hela had also tried to overpower the creature, but the creature had raised it's hand. It was too late. A powerful blast had shaken the house's foundation. Sleipnir pushed Hela out of the way, taking the brunt of the blast. The last thing that Hela remembered before she blacked out was being dragged to the backyard and watching through blurry vision, the ground burn around her and a bright light._

Hela shuddered at the fight. It the quickest fight that she had ever been overpowered. Something was off. It was very unlikely for one creature to win against five trained Asgardian warriors. It was odd that they were even alive. If the creature could defeat them that easily, then why were they alive?

A terrifying thought popped in Hela's head. "The pizza man!" she exclaimed.

"The who-man?" Jormungandr asked, his voice muffled a bit through the thick, stone wall.

"The pizza man," Hela repeated. "I remember feeling a bit sick after eating the pizza. They might have poisoned the food!"

It was quiet as the group processed the thought. It _did_ seem reasonable. If they were off their game, that would explain why the creature was able to beat them so easily.

"What about dad?" Fenris asked after a while.

"He went for a walk after dinner," Sigyn said. There was silence as a sinking feeling settled over them. "Oh Norns! What if they attacked him? He was by himself! Oh Loki!"

Hela could hear Sigyn collapse in worry. She was worried about her father, but it was too early to start worrying about things that might not be true. All she could was hope that he was alright and out there searching for them.

"Hey. He might still alright. We don't know for sure that the creature went after him too," Hela said, trying to comfort Sigyn.

"Yeah. He might be looking for us," Jormungandr added.

Sigyn sniffed. "But we can't rely on just hope. We _need_ to get out of here," Sigyn said.

Light suddenly flooded the dark dungeon as an unseen door creaked open.

"Oh boy," Fenris muttered. "Let's just hope that they're here to help."

He couldn't be more wrong.

A bright light bathed the cells in pure energy, knocking the four of them unconscious.

**More coming soon! School is almost out (just a week left), so I won't have a laptop to type on. Its that time of year again where I have to do all this writing on my phone, so updates may take longer than usual. Please review since it gives me motivation to update sooner.**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's been a while, but here's another chapter. Please read and review! :)**

**Chapter Six: Breaking and Entering**

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Bucky asked. The four of them were parked on the closest back road nearly two miles away from the perimeter of the Avengers compound. Trees surrounded the edge of the private property, blocking the view of the headquarters.

He turned around in the driver's seat of the Mustang to look at the other men in the car.

Loki shrugged. He was sitting behind Thor, who was in the passenger seat. Pietro was behind Bucky.

"It's the only idea. It doesn't necessarily have to be a good idea. The only thing that matters is if it works," Loki said.

Bucky turned back to stare out the windshield. It had been a long time since he was last here, and he didn't exactly leave on a good note. Tensions were still high between him and the Avengers; the last thing that he wanted was to get caught breaking and entering and being sent to the Raft.

Pietro leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm ready, if anybody else is," he said.

"I suppose," Thor muttered. Nobody really liked the plan, but it was the only one they could come up with.

"Does everyone know what they have to do?" Loki asked. "We can go over it again."

"Nah. We're good," Pietro replied.

Practically all at once, they all climbed out of the car and stood. There was a light breeze that rustled the leaves in the trees.

"Alright. Pietro, you and Thor go first," Loki said after he surveyed the area again.

Pietro grinned and took off in a blur. He had greatly improved on his speed so that he was at the Avengers compound before Thor even took flight.

Bucky and Loki watched Thor leave via air.

"Now we wait," Loki said and leaned against the car.

A moment later, Loki's phone buzzed. He took it out of his back pocket and checked the screen.

"That's the signal," Loki announced. Pietro had disabled the alarms and cameras. Thor was sent in for a distraction. It was Bucky's and Loki's job to find the tracking technology and search for energy signatures.

The two remaining men climbed back into the car and drove closer. They got out at the back of the compound after maneuvering the car for a quick getaway.

Bucky and Loki skirted the tree line and carefully crossed the grassy area.

"It looks deserted," Bucky commented. They had reached the outside wall. Pietro was sitting in a darkened corner, catching his breath.

"Thor said that the Avengers were on a mission," Loki replied. He helped Pietro to his feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but faster," Pietro replied between breaths.

"You're our get-away man," Bucky said.

"Yeah, I know. Just give a minute," Pietro gasped. He rested his hands on his knees. He took a few deep breaths and stood straight up. "Good luck." He gave the two a tired grin before taking off towards the car.

Bucky and Loki crept around the wall, making sure to stay out of the view of cameras even though they were supposed to be off.

"This would be easier if you used magic," Bucky whispered. They had found an open window, and quickly crawled after checking for alarms and people.

"This already seems to easy," Loki responded. He dropped lightly to the floor directly after Bucky. "I thought that they tightened security."

"They did…"

Bucky stopped short, causing Loki to run into him.

"What?" Loki asked. Bucky held up finger to his lips and motioned towards the open living room that they almost walked into.

Loki peered over Bucky's shoulder. A caped figure stood there, it's back turned.

"Who's that?" Loki whispered.

"I don't know…"

The figure turned. Bucky and Loki quickly pressed themselves against the wall.

"Where's the lab?" Loki asked. The figure had turned back.

"Follow me," Bucky replied. They quickly but silently made their way away from living room. Bucky turned corners and led the way through the maze of the compound. Every second they stayed in the compound only increased their anxiety and chances of getting caught, but it was eerily quiet.

Finally, they had found the lab. Bucky didn't know the access code to open the lab's door, but Loki called for Thor to come over and override the system.

"We're in!" Loki exclaimed quietly as the laboratory's door clicked open. The trio cautiously entered the lab. The computer's emitted a hazy blue light. The whole lab buzzed with energy.

Bucky took watch near the door. Thor started pacing the room. Loki sat down on a stool and started looking over the computers.

"Do you even know how to use that?" Bucky asked.

"Not really, but I'm a quick learner," Loki replied. "Thor, come over here, please."

Thor joined his brother's side and leaned his hands on the desk. "What?"

"Try turning it on with your electricity," Loki ordered.

Thor placed his hand on the monitor and let some electricity buzz through the system. The blue light disappeared and was replaced by a screen asking for a password.

"Do you know the password?" Loki asked.

Thor shook his head. "I have never really been in here. Bruce prefers it if I stay away from him while he works. And Tony-" Thor stopped and frowned. It was still emotional to think about what happened earlier that year.

Loki noticed Thor's sudden change in mood and tried to change the subject. "Well, do you have a guess? I really don't know how modern technology works."

Thor shrugged. "I don't know the password, but if it's wrong, it turns everything off."

Loki let out a frustrated groan. "We _really_ should have thought about _that_ before we left. Now we're stuck with no idea how to use this bloody technology!" He banged his fist on the desk, causing Thor to jump back from his brother.

"What if we got an Avenger to access the codes. I can ask them," Thor suggested.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said they went on a mission?"

"I was just guessing," Thor said.

"Just guessing?" Loki's temper was rising.

"Well, why else would it be so quiet here? There's nobody here, so they _must be_ on a mission. That's the only reasonable explanation!" Thor threw his hands up for emphasis.

Loki rested his elbows on the desk and placed his head in his hands in annoyance. "Thor, why are you so stupid? We could be caught!"

"I hardly think that matters now," Thor replied, his voice small for such a large man.

Loki groaned and swiveled around on the stood. He stood up and strode over to Bucky. "Change of plans…"

Suddenly, the caped figure from before landed right in front of the lab's glass doors. Bucky was so startled that he tripped as he leaped backward. Luckily, Loki caught him before his landed on his rear.

"What the hell?!" Bucky exclaimed. The figure's face was hidden in the shadow of its hood, but it's glowing blue and yellow eyes seemed to stare straight through Bucky's soul.

Intense fear washed over the trio. They backed away from the glass doors.

The figure stepped forward, and pushed the door open. Bucky whipped his gun out and aimed it at the figure.

"Who the hell are you?" Bucky questioned. He had a tough time trying to keep his hands from shaking.

"I am Gorr, the god butcher," the creature rasped. It's voice was male and terrifying.

"No," Loki muttered. He knew the name.

"That sounds bad," Bucky commented.

Gorr tilted his head and stared at Loki. "Loki, Thanos' favorite toy, so nice to finally meet you." Gorr laughed, the sound ugly.

Loki pulled his daggers out of concealed sheaths. He held them up in defense. Thor summoned Stormbreaker. The smell of ozone intensified as electricity snapped in the air.

Gorr chuckled. "Please! Do you really think that you can beat me? I took down the Avengers-"

"And where are they now?" Thor interrupted. "Is that why it's so quiet here? Did you kill them?"

Gorr looked offended. "Me? Kill them? Oh, no, Asgardian, my fight is not with them. They are alive and locked up downstairs. I must admit that they put up quite a fight."

Gorr turned to face Bucky. "My quarrel is not with humans. Run away while you still can."

Bucky stared Gorr down. "Not today." Bucky cocked the hammer of the gun back and lightly rested his finger on the trigger.

Gorr frowned, but it was hidden behind his hood. "You really do not want to do this."

"Or do we?" Loki taunted. "I'm guessing that you're the one who hurt my family. You're going to pay for that."

Gorr swept his right hand and summoned his All-Black Necrosword that Loki recognized on sight. As his cape was moved by the motion, the trio got a full glance at his body. He was pale skinned with strange markings all over. He only had three toes on each foot that had sharp claw-like nails. The only thing that he wore was the hooded cape and some form of clothing that covered his waist area.

Thor growled and charged Gorr. Gorr sidestepped and hit Thor in the back with the blunt edge of his sword. Bucky fired two shots, both of which did nothing to harm Gorr.

Gorr swept Bucky back with his sword, sending the former soldier tumbling over the tables. Gorr lunged for Loki. Loki ducked and rolled. He managed to stab Gorr in the back with one of his daggers as he executed his roll.

"You dare?!" Gorr shouted. He thrust his sword forward, narrowly missing Loki. Thor pushed Loki aside and brought up Stormbreaker to block the thrust.

Bucky popped his head up behind a couple tables. He aimed his gun at Gorr, but he realized that it was useless. What was it with aliens and being bulletproof?

Bucky observed the fight as the two brothers battled the creepy sword guy. The creature had said that he had nothing against humans- maybe he could use that to his advantage.

"Hey, ugly!" Bucky called as he suddenly stood up. He put his gun back in his jeans and waved his arms to catch Gorr's attention.

Gorr whipped around and glared at Bucky. Loki used this distraction and pushed Gorr towards the sharp end of Thor's battle axe.

Loki and Thor had the numbers against Gorr, but the caped alien was surprisingly holding his own. Bucky had to think fast before Gorr could do something drastic.

A small, round object that sat on a nearby table caught Bucky's attention. He picked it up and stalked closer to the battle, making sure to stay out of Gorr's vision.

"Move!" Bucky shouted as he threw the object at Gorr. Thor and Loki quickly dove out of the way, but Gorr wasn't so lucky. He got hit with the full force of the small grenade.

Gorr flew backward as the grenade exploded. A small black cloud of smoke followed his form.

Thor and Loki took this small break in the fight to join Bucky.

"I've never fought someone _that_ skilled before," Loki gasped between breaths. He had a several bruises on his face that were already starting to turn purple. His lip was busted and he was bleeding out of the side of his mouth.

Thor was in fairly better shape, but he still had bruises and a cut on his forearm.

"He's almost as strong as Thanos," Thor growled.

"It would make sense since Gorr is- was working for _him," _Loki said.

Smoke was curling towards the ceiling from where Gorr lay near the chemical cabinets.

"How is it that lightning and daggers do _nothing _ to slow him down, but a small, stupid grenade knocks him out?" Thor questioned out loud.

"We should get out of here," Loki suggested. "We can't kill him, so let's put as much space between him and us as we can."

The trio rushed towards the door. The lab was a mess. Broken glass covered the floor, tables were overturned, and papers were crumbled on the ground. Scorch marks from Thor's lightning dotted the floor, ceiling, and walls. A small fire burned in a corner near the computers. They were lucky that the only thing that exploded was the grenade that Bucky threw.

Before they could reach the door, Gorr's sword suddenly flew past them, narrowly missing Thor's head. The sword lodged itself into the wall and fell sideways, effectively blocking the doors.

"Just move it," Bucky said. "It's just a sword."

"Yes, a _sword_ that we _can't touch_," Loki exclaimed. "It burns to touch it, which is very rude, to say the least."

"I was planning on leaving you and the Avengers alive, mortal," Gorr's voice cut through the still air. The trio whipped around and saw Gorr standing- burnt, but standing. "Now, you've angered me and ultimately sealed your doom!"

Thor gripped Stormbreaker's handle and growled. Loki twirled his daggers in his hands and bent his knees, ready for a fight. Bucky reached for his gun, but realized that he was basically defenseless with it. Loki noticed this and handed Bucky one of his daggers.

"It's cursed to hurt my enemies," Loki explained when Bucky raised an eyebrow in question. Bucky nodded and gladly took something that would do some damage to Gorr.

All three of the them rushed at Gorr at the same time. Gorr blocked their blows, but couldn't hurt them more than a punch since his sword was out of his reach.

"_You!" _Gorr hissed as Bucky managed to stab the creature in the side. "You have angered me too many times today. You will pay for what you have done!"

Gorr summoned his sword; the sword flew into his hand, making Thor and Loki jump out of the way to avoid getting impaled. Gorr grabbed Bucky by the neck and lept through the window, shattering the glass.

Thor and Loki rushed to the window...and watched as Gorr knocked Bucky unconscious.

Gorr disappeared in a flash of bright light, leaving Bucky to fall down into the dark water below…

**Cliffhanger! Quite literally too. Gorr is a real Marvel villain in the comics, so you can look him up if you want to. I will try to post the next chapter as soon as I can.**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is a bit shorter, but enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Seven: Drowning**

"NOOO!" Loki screamed as Bucky plummeted towards the water. The brothers watched in horror as Bucky landed with a large splash, and quickly sank beneath the waves.

"Thor, get me down there," Loki ordered. Thor was standing with his mouth open wide in shock at what just happened. "Thor!"

Thor shook his head to clear his thoughts and focus back on reality.

"Right, uh, yeah," Thor muttered. Loki grabbed onto Thor's wrists and tried to control his panicked breathing as Thor took flight and landed softly on the beach.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Loki immediately yanked off his shoes and jacket and sprinted towards the water.

"Loki? What are you doing?" Thor called as he saw his brother take off running.

The sun was setting on the churning waves of the ocean, casting an eerie glow on the water. Just how long did they fight Gorr for? It seemed like forever.

Loki was shoulder-deep in the water. He took a deep breath and dove underwater.

"Loki!" Thor shouted and ran to the edge of the sandy beach. "You can't swim!"

Thor watched in terror as his brother popped back up and dove down again several times, each time a little further out in the ocean. Minutes ticked by, with no sign of Bucky...

Then, just when the sun had finished setting a few minutes before, Loki went down for one more dive...and didn't return.

Thor waited, and waited, and waited, with no luck. He contemplated whether or not he should go in, but he couldn't swim either and it would not help if a third person died today.

When all hope seemed to be lost, Thor saw Loki's head pop back up, several yards away from shore. Thor heaved a sigh of relief; at least his brother was alive.

Then, Loki pulled a body up by the back of the person's belt and titled their head up away from the water.

Loki held tightly to the person and tried to swim towards shore with one arm and zero experience. The person's head rested on Loki's shoulder, mouth open but didn't seem to be breathing.

Thor reached for Bucky's limp body once Loki reached the shore and helped the two onto the beach. Loki crawled onto the beach, breathing heavily and coughing in-between. His arms refused to hold his weight, and Loki collapsed from exhaustion.

Thor turned Bucky onto his side, allowing for water to dribble out of his mouth before turning him back onto his back and starting CPR.

By that time, Pietro had figured out what happened and had joined the mismatched group on the beach.

Bucky wasn't breathing, and CPR didn't seem to work.

"I might break a rib," Thor said to Pietro as he pushed on Bucky's chest.

"If you do, it means you're doing it right," Pietro said. "Here, let me. I had to take Basic Aid Training in high school."

Thor gladly let Pietro take over who began to give Bucky CPR. Thor sat down next to his brother, who was sitting upright, but visibly shaking.

Thor knew that Loki wasn't shaking from the cold - he _never _got cold. He wrapped an around his soaking wet brother and let Loki lean against him.

"It's alright to be scared," Thor said quietly. "I'm surprised that you even thought about going into the water since you can't swim and all."

"If you were in his position, I would have done the same thing," Loki replied.

"You almost died!" Thor pointed out.

Loki shrugged halfheartedly. "Yes, well, that seems to be a trend with me, doesn't it?"

"Now is not the time for jokes, brother," Thor lightly scolded.

A loud cough broke the silence of the autumn night. Bucky was awake and breathing. Pietro stopped doing CPR and backed off a bit to give Bucky room to throw up.

Loki tried to stand to join Bucky, but his legs were shaking so badly that he had to sit back down.

"What in the-" Bucky gasped between coughs. He looked around at the group, his gaze coming to halt as he saw Loki's drenched form sitting a couple of feet away from him.

"You saved me," Bucky muttered in shock and slowly sat up. He rested his arms on his knees and stared out towards the ocean. "Why?" Bucky asked, turning his head to face Loki.

"Because it was the right thing to do," was all Loki had to say.

The ex-soldier nodded. He had to respect that, and he felt grateful that Loki- the one who attacked New York, killed thousands, the sworn enemy of the Avengers, and the god of freaking _mischief_\- had risked his life to save his own.

"We should get going," Pietro piped up, breaking the silence. He motioned up at the Avengers compound. Lights were turning on, a clear sign that the Avengers had regained consciousness and were searching for whatever had made such a huge mess.

"That's probably a good idea," Loki murmured. He placed a hand on Thor's shoulder and pushed himself to his feet. "The last thing that we need to get caught by them for trespassing and other crimes we committed."

Pietro stood up and offered a hand to Bucky, who gladly took it. "The car is still parked up where we left it. I could bring it closer if you want," Pietro offered.

"I can walk," Bucky said. He was leaning heavily on Pietro's shoulder and clutched his left side. The bandages that he had wrapped on his wound had come undone and he was bleeding again.

"Are you sure? It's a bit of walk..." Thor said.

"I'll manage; I'm not dead yet," Bucky replied.

The group slowly started making their way back to the car. Thor was leading the way. If he was caught by the Avengers, he could at least slow them down or distract while the other three hid.

Pietro was supporting the two others since Bucky's legs were shaking so badly and couldn't stand on his own. Loki trudged slowly behind, keeping an eye out for the Avengers.

It took forever to get back to the car. Bucky immediately sat down hard in the passenger seat and fell asleep with exhaustion.

Loki sat in the back seat behind Bucky, with his legs resting on the ground outside the car. Pietro and Thor stood next to Loki.

"What happened to Gorr?" Pietro asked after Thor explained the terrible event.

Thor shrugged. "I don't know. He flew out the window, dropped Bucky, and disappeared," Thor said. "I hope he doesn't come back. He was able to take down the Avengers, and if we fought him again, I highly doubt that we'll survive."

"How in the world was he able to take down the _Avengers_?" Pietro questioned out loud.

"He probably separated them and fought them one on one. It's a lot easier to defeat them when they are split," Loki pointed out from the car. He had flopped backward and lay on the seats in the back. "Separating them is the best - and only - way to take them down. I know, I've tried. Many have tried to take them on all at once, and ultimately it led to them getting beaten badly and the Avengers going home to celebrate."

"What did Gorr even want?" Pietro asked. "If he wanted you dead, why did he just up and leave?"

"Gorr is the god slayer," Thor said.

"Gorr is the god _butcher_," Loki corrected. He groaned as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. "He's after and god-like being. He doesn't kill humans, but if they get in his way, he _will_ retaliate."

"There's no other god-like being on earth right now," Pietro said. "Except for Hela, Sigyn, and the boys, but we _know_ that they're missing."

Thor suddenly turned pale. He glanced at Loki, who had the same frightened expression on his face. "New Asgard..." the brothers burst out at the same time, with terror clearly defined in their voices. "He's heading to New Asgard!"

**More chapters coming soon! Please leave a comment, it would be greatly appreciated. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is a bit shorter. Summer is in full swing and I'm busy with running, so I will try to find time to update. Nevertheless, enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Eight: Nobody Likes Pointy Things, Even Asgardians**

A bright light shone straight into Sigyn's face. She groaned as splitting headache made her vision blurrier than it already was.

She was strapped down on a table similar to an operation table. Thick, metal straps crossed her chest, arms, and legs, firmly pinning her down. Her head was the only thing that she could move. Sigyn tilted her head to side and took in her surroundings.

There was an IV sticking out of her right arm, which was attacked to blue bag on an IV stand. She couldn't see what was in it since the tube and bag were not see through, but it must have had something to do with how she felt like she was as weak as an infant.

The room was dark but still lighter than the dungeon cell. A wall covered with machines stood on the right of Sigyn. Large, clear, empty tanks loomed directly in front of her. She couldn't see a door, so she assumed it was behind her. The room was various colors of gray and white, which made it seem like a lab. All the strange tools and equipment supported the theory.

And she wasn't alone. Four more tables like Sigyn's sat in the middle of the room, two on each side of her.

Her heart suddenly dropped into the middle of her stomach as she realized who was sharing the room with…

Hela and Sleipnir were strapped down on the right of her, both of them unconscious. IVs were sticking out of their right arms as well.

Jormungandr and Fenris were on the left of her. All five of them were arranged in a half-circle, facing a wall made out of what only could be one-way glass.

It was getting annoying, being knocked out all the time. She wished she would just go home and enjoy laying in her nice, comfortable bed with Loki laying right beside her.

Suddenly, small footsteps clicked on the hard floor. Sigyn, after realizing who had entered the room, wished that she _was _unconscious.

A woman dressed in a lime green and gold dress that fell around her feet stood in front of Sigyn with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her red lips. Her blonde hair was held back with a lime green headband. Her gray eyes shone in contrast with her tan skin. A golden locket with a purple gem that glowed hung around her neck. Two guards dressed in black suits with helmets and guns stood on either side of the woman.

Sigyn glared at the woman. "_Amora_," she grumbled. She hated the Enchantress with a passion. Sigyn usually didn't swear, but Amora was a bitch. "What brings you here?"

The woman, Amora, tossed her hair behind her shoulder and let out a laugh. "Something very similar to why you are here, but I'm free to do whatever I want," Amora sneered.

Sigyn tugged against her restraints. A sharp sting right where the IV was stuck in her arm made her stop.

"My dear Sigyn; still with that criminal, Loki, hm? What a poor choice for a boyfriend," Amora mused and walked around Sigyn, her high heels clicking on the ground.

"Loki is a wonderful boyfriend, and I would have no other," Sigyn snapped defensively.

"Hm, sure, sure. Too bad he's probably dead. Gorr was supposed to kill him. He's too dead to care about you," Amora alluded ominously.

Worry filled Sigyn with dread. Loki was fine, right? _Right?_

"He's come back from the dead several times before," Sigyn retorted.

The two guards had positioned themselves in front of Sigyn. Sigyn took note of their weapons and decided that she could easily take them out. Mortals were not a huge threat to her, but Amora was a whole other problem.

"What are you doing, associating with humans? I thought you hated them," Sigyn questioned, trying to stall Amora until the kids woke up. She had no powers that could help her right now, but Hela could shadow-travel and Sleipnir could open up portals. If one of them escaped, then they could send for help. She was sure that Loki was looking for them; his magic would easily take down Amora.

"They have their uses," Amora said and trailed a hand down one of the guard's cheek. "I'm under orders right now, and I unfortunately have to team up with mortals. Hydra is more superior compared to anyone else; they have wonderful advancements and a particular program that we are interested in."

"What is the program?" Sigyn pressed, silently willing the kids to wake up and trying to gain useful information. All five of them - if they were free - could outnumber Amora and hold her down until help arrived. She had no magic, except for healing magic, so Amora was stronger, but Loki's far surpassed the Enchantress's.

"Have you heard of the Winter Soldier program?" Amora asked, turning back to face Sigyn with a stupid smirk on her face.

The name rang a bell, but Sigyn didn't know much about it. All she knew was that one particular subject had succeeded and did a lot of damage under Hydra's will. She preferred to stay out of mortal problems, and this one was so dangerous that she avoided it entirely.

Amora didn't wait for a reply. "The Winter Soldier program was a wonderful program that Hydra came up with. It involved brainwashing its subjects and bending them to their will with no magic, only technology and science. It is truly a magnificent example of human innovation," Amora explained. "Sadly, there was only one successful case, but that one asset dealt so much damage that really makes you question what the world would look like if there was a whole army of winter soldiers!"

Another sinking feeling grew in Sigyn's stomach. She did _not_ like where this was going. Amora's smile had turned insane, which did nothing for her look.

"And what is better than an army of human soldiers? Asgardian soldiers - brainless and willing to listen to any orders! Just imagine it! We could take over the realms and other planets, rather than just Midgard! Nobody could stand against us! The universe would be _his_!"

Amora's maniacal monologue was suddenly interrupted by a gray, swirling cloud appearing in the room. The creature, that Sigyn could only assume was Gorr, stepped through. He was just as ugly now as he was went they fought them at home.

Seeing these two working together only meant impending doom.

"What is it?" Amora snapped. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Gorr. "Are they dead? Where is his body?"

Gorr shook his head and avoided Amora's gaze. "They escaped. I killed the mortal, but the Asgardians survived. I could have killed them, but I got orders to attack New Asgard instead. They survived as well, since I received more orders to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" Amora's patience was running thin.

"They are onto us. Whatever you are planning, you need to do it fast, before they find us," Gorr warned.

Amora turned to the guards. "Get your scientists in here and tell them to start the procedure. And make sure that this place is heavily armed and prepared for battle. I'm sure that Loki will not take anyone alive if his family is harmed. The only chance we have is now; we cannot waste time."

The guards took off and left the room with a loud slam as the door closed behind them.

Sigyn tried to control her fear. Loki was close, but at what cost? Was he walking straight into a trap?

"We need Loki alive if we are to use him to bring him back," Gorr mentioned. "I highly doubt that he will help us willingly."

Amora turned to stare pointedly at Sigyn and the kids. "Oh, don't worry. We have everything we need. I have a plan. We don't necessarily need Loki, just his magic; and I've got a plan ready for that."

Sigyn's heart threatened to beat straight out of her chest. Loki was in danger, and there was nothing that she could do about it. She wanted Loki to burst into the door right then and there and take down Amora and Gorr, but she didn't want to put him into danger. She felt helpless, and she hated it. The only thing she could do was stall until Loki came...

"Who are you bringing back?" Sigyn asked with a small hope that she would distract them from their plans.

Amora and Gorr glanced at each other before turning towards her, each with a wide grin on their faces.

"Why, dear," Amora laughed. "We're bringing back our master - _Thanos_."

**Another cliffhanger! Amora is another Marvel villain, if you want to look her up. I thought about the idea of Asgardians being controlled like how Bucky was, so this is kind of it. I'm also pretty sure that Thanos still has a lot of followers out there who are probably upset that he is dead. Again, if you want to read _Resurrection_, it will help this story make more sense. Please review! More is coming soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I hope your summer is going well so far. Mine is alright; it wpuld be better if there wasnt so many bugs. I swear, I can't walk outside without getting swarmed, even with if I'm drenched in bug spray. Stupid gnats. :( Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy.**

**WARNING: Some swearing is in this chapter.**

**Chapter Nine: Ruins and Runes**

New Asgard was in flames. Several of the newly built buildings had collapsed. A thin layer of dust hung in the still air. It was clear that Gorr had visited.

"We're too late," Loki muttered. They were standing on top of a small hill, looking down at the town. Even from here, the damage looked bad; who knows what it actually was up close.

"We don't know for sure," Thor commented with a hint of hope in his voice. He had summoned a rain storm as soon as he saw the buildings burning to put out the fires. The sky was just now clearing up. "Where are the bodies? I'm sure Gorr doesn't have a way to get rid of them."

"Maybe he ate them," Pietro said off-handly while he stared at the ruins of the town.

Thor and Loki turned to stare questioningly at Pietro, both of shocked by Pietro's suggestion. Pietro felt their stares and faced them.

"What?" Pietro asked and raised his hands defensively. "I'm sure that he didn't, but we don't know…"

Loki rolled his eyes and tried to block out Pietro, who was rambling off theories about what happened. He had never been to New Asgard, but he was glad that his adopted home had found a new place to live after Surtur blew their first one up. It was sad to see this place ruined as well.

Many questions arose from the depths of Loki's mind, awaking his fears: Why was Gorr coming after Asgardians _now_? Were Sigyn and the kids alright? Where was everyone? And what in all the Nine Realms was going on?

Thor's voice cut through Loki's musings, but his worry lingered still.

"I can call Valkyrie," Thor suggested. "She should know what happened."

Loki shrugged and put his hands in his jacket's pockets. "Whatever works; I just want to know what happened."

Thor nodded and took his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Valkyrie's number, put it on speaker phone so Pietro and Loki could hear, and waited as the phone rang.

"_Hello_?" a woman's voice answered on the second ring.

"Valkyrie!" Thor tried to contain his excitement, but it was clear in his voice. "Are you alright? I'm in New Asgard, but it's in ruins. Where is everyone?"

Valkyrie sighed. She sounded tired. "_Some creep showed and started attacking us. We had to flee before he killed someone. We tried to take him down, but he was really strong and powerful. Most of us don't know how to fight since all our warriors were killed when Hela attacked Asgard. We're safe now and are planning on heading back soon,"_ Valkyrie explained.

Thor let out a sigh of relief. "Do you know where he went?"

"_No idea. He just disappeared, saying that he had to listen to orders and leave,_" Valkyrie answered.

Loki raised an eyebrow. So Gorr wasn't in charge. But who was? Gorr was someone who really didn't like taking orders from someone else unless he or she or...whatever was much stronger than him. And Gorr was already pretty powerful.

"I'm glad that you are alright," Thor said. "Were there any casualties?"

"_Just a few cuts and bruises, but we had the numbers against him. It only lasted for about five minutes, but the damage that he could do was frightening. I swear, he might be up there with Thanos."_

"I know, I've fought him," Thor muttered with a glare on his face. "Both of them."

"_Are you staying?"_

Thor shook his head even though Valkyrie couldn't see him. "No. We-I have to deal with more pressing matters. Be careful, Val."

"_You too,"_ Valkyrie said and hung up.

Thor stared at his phone for a few moments before putting it back into his pocket.

"Now what?" Pietro asked. He leaned against the car and folded his arms across his chest.

Bucky was sprawled out across the back seats, sleeping off his exhaustion. Loki envied Bucky, who looked peaceful despite all that he went through.

"I don't know. There's really no clue or something that we could use to find Sigyn and the kids," Loki said quietly, to not wake Bucky up.

"We could search the town," Thor suggested. "Maybe Gorr left something behind that we could use."

Loki shrugged. It wasn't a bad idea. "Someone has to stay to make keep an eye on Bucky. We're not going off alone."

"I'll stay," Pietro offered. "You two know this place better than me anyways. I wouldn't know what to look for."

Thor nodded and turned to walk down the hill. Loki gave Pietro a tired smile and followed his brother.

Most of the fighting seemed to take place near the entrance of the town. At least the houses near the back and middle of the town were somewhat spared from the attack.

"This is horrible," Thor muttered. He picked up a thick timber board and studied it closely. "Why would he even do that? They were practically defenseless."

"I suppose he doesn't have morals," Loki replied. A small, purple fire caught his eye and went to investigate.

"Don't go too far," Thor called after him.

"I won't," Loki called back. The fire was near the front door a half-empty armoury. But that wasn't the strange thing. The building wasn't burning down. Instead, the fire seemed to be absorbing the energy of some of the enchanted weapons. One sword was completely drained of its magic, turning it back into a plain, silver sword.

"What in the name of Asgard?" Loki murmured to himself. He squatted down to stare at the fire. The purple flames were memorizing; he almost wanted to touch it...

He slowly reached out with his right hand. He wanted to touch it so badly; he was drawn to it for some reason.

As soon as his hand touched the purple fire, flames started curling up around his fingers, drawing him closer to the ground. Loki's knees buckled and he collapsed. He steadied himself with his free hand and tried to pull away, but the fire held him steadfast.

The fire seemed to reach into the depths of his magic, tugging and yearning to absorb his magic. Loki dimily saw through half-closed eyes, his magic flare up around him and get sucked into the fire. With each passing second, the fire absorbed more of Loki's magic and slowly grew bigger and brighter.

He knew that he should do something to get free of the it's clutches, but he was too tired and was memorized by the fire's glow.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around Loki's waist, pulling him up and away from the now larger fire. The arms tugged, but the fire snaked up Loki's arms and attached itself to Thor's arms.

"Let go, Loki!" Thor grunted and tugged harder. They both fell backwards with grunts as Loki was suddenly released.

Loki rolled off Thor and sat back on his legs. "Thank you for that," he said. He clutched his right hand with his other into his chest. It was burned from the fire and was painfully still purple.

"What were you thinking? I thought you were smarter than me; we both know not to touch strange things," Thor lightly scolded and sat up.

"I couldn't… I couldn't resist it. It absorbed my magic, Thor. It absorbed everything," Loki muttered. He looked at his hand. It was shaking badly, but the purple color was fading.

"You were glowing!" Thor exclaimed. "I thought you were going to die! Don't do that to me! I can't lose you again!"

Loki looked up at Thor's distressed face. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist it…I was...calling me. Thor, something else is going on; something huge."

"What do you mean?" Thor asked. He stood up and extended a hand to his brother. Loki took it and let Thor help him up.

"I think Gorr has the Power Stone," Loki replied.

"What? How?"

"I don't know, but what else could cause that?" Loki asked while motioning towards the fire. The longer he stared at it, the more he felt the urge to touch it again. Luckily, Thor grabbed him and pulled him away after he took an unconscious step.

"Stop doing that! You're scaring me," Thor exclaimed after he practically dragged Loki further away from the purple fire.

Loki sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I just...I just don't know anymore."

"Hey," Thor said quietly. He placed a reassuring hand on Loki's shoulder, causing Loki to look up at Thor, blue eyes meeting green. "I can't imagine what you are going through right now, but you need to focus. We need to work together; you and me, the brains and the brawn. You're smarter than me; all you have to do is just think. Think about where Sigyn and the kids might be. We'll find them, but we only do that if we work together."

"What if they're dead, Thor? What if they're dead? The love of my life and my wonderful children, gone…" Loki stared at the ground, a frown etching onto his face.

"We don't know that for sure," Thor said, trying to comfort Loki.

"Its like we're cursed or something. Everytime that I think that that I'm going to fine, something terrible always happens. Its like the universe doesn't want me to be happy," Loki muttered. Tears started forming in his emerald green eyes. "I know I made some major mistakes, but _I _should be the one to get punished for it, not Sigyn or the kids. It was _my_ mistake, and it should be _my _punishment. They don't need to be brought into this mess…"

Thor stared sadly at his brother. He sighed and pulled him into a warm hug.

"We'll find them," Thor assured. "We'll find them together. We've got Bucky, who is pretty badass by himself. And Pietro, who is willing to search the cosmos for Hela. We'll find them."

Loki sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I know. I'll find them even if it kills me."

/\/\/\/\/\

They searched for a couple more hours. The more they moved into the heart of the city, the less the damage was. Thor made sure that Loki was always in his line of sight, since the event with the fire scared both of them. Loki never wandered more than a few meters away from Thor.

The theory of the Power Stone being involved was quite terrifying. Gorr was strong enough alone; he didn't the extra boost of power. Whoever - whatever they were facing, it didn't matter how strong they were. Loki swore to kill whoever had taken his family away from him. Loki was so determined that Thor would have felt pity for whoever fell victim to Loki's wrath if the situation didn't already involve him.

They had come up with ideas of how to track the Power Stone, but to no avail. The Soul Stone was in Valhalla, which they were trapped out of without Hela's help. Loki didn't want to meet Doctor Strange again to borrow the Time Stone nor go near the Avengers Headquarters for the second time in a week to see if they had rebuilt Vision and given in the Mind Stone. Loki also wanted nothing to do with the Mind Stone, since he had a really bad history with that one particular stone. He had never told Thor about what he went through in the Void, but Thor had an inkling of what happened and agreed that it was probably best if Loki stayed as far away from the Mind Stone as possible.

The Tesseract and the Reality Stones were missing, so that brought that out of the picture. With using a stone to find a stone wasn't going to work, the only thing that the brothers could come up with was to search New Asgard for anymore clues.

"What do you think about Bucky?" Thor asked off-handily while he was searching through a stack of wine barrels.

"What do you mean?" Loki replied. He was staring intently at the small, stone central square. The sun was shining high in the sky and a small breeze had picked up. Dust swirled gently in the air and cooling the air despite the sun blazing down at them.

"You seem to be comfortable around him," Thor explained. "And you're not the most trusting type either. It took you a full two months before you trusted Pietro to be around Hela without your supervision."

"Am I not allowed to make sure that my daughter is safe?" Loki asked.

"No, but you really don't trust people that easily. And then you go and rescue him after barely even knowing him. You've known Pietro a lot longer than him, but you seem more relaxed and less anxious around Bucky."

He did have a point. Loki knew that Bucky was different; someone whom he felt a connection too. They _did _have many things in common. They both had a blonde, tall, muscular, blue-eyed man protecting them. Both of them went through a really tough period in their lives where they little to no control over their actions. Both of them had been on the wrong side of the law and were still wanted for their crimes. So, yes, maybe Loki felt like he could trust Bucky because he saw himself in him.

"It's nice, really," Thor continued. "You've never had a friend before; it's nice seeing you connect with someone."

A friend; Loki liked the sound of that. Most of his childhood, Loki had followed Thor around. Sif and the Warriors Three only tolerated him because of Thor. Kids always bullied him for being different and using magic. The only kid he talked too was Sigyn, but she really didn't count as a friend-friend since they started dating at a really young age.

"It would be nice to have a friend, but…" Loki's voice faded off.

"But what?" Thor pressed. He dropped an empty wine barrel and started stacking them back up.

"What if I lose him too?" Loki asked the question that was burning in his head.

Thor stopped stacking the barrels and turned back towards Loki. "If you worry about those things, you will never live. You will miss a lot of joy and happiness if you constantly worry about losing someone."

"Thor, he's mortal. His life span isn't as long as ours. That was what I was trying to warn you about Jane. If you got attached to her, then her sudden death would haunt you for the rest of your life, which so happens to be thousands of years longer than humans," Loki explained.

Thor frowned. "I heard Steve saying that Bucky had stopped aging completely because of his serum."

Loki became silent as he took in this information. If they survived this, then maybe he would talk to Bucky and give him a chance.

Some symbol on the ground caught Loki's attention as he scanned the stone plaza. He knelt down and traced the symbol with his finger.

"Ást," Loki muttered.

"What?" Thor asked. He joined Loki and stared down at the symbol. "Why does that look familiar?

The symbol was a small diamond with a line drawn through the middle and sticking out of the top. Two little lines were drawn likes flags on the left of the line. It was the Norse rune of love...

"Dammit, Amora, you little bitch!" Loki cursed.

"Amora?!" Thor exclaimed. "What is _she_ doing here?"

"Probably up to no good, as per usual," Loki muttered sulleningly. He _hated_ Amora with a passion.

"This isn't good, is it?"

Loki shook his head and stood up. "Gorr and Amora; that is a couple that I never expected." Loki ran a hand through his hair and glared down at the symbol. "Great, just great. This truly wonderful. That stupid mewling quim! If she lays a _finger_ on my Sigyn, I swear I will tear her apart slowly, so she can feel _everything_!"

Thor backed away from Loki. Loki was unknowingly glowing with energy as his temper flared up.

"Calm down, brother. They can track you if you lose control of your magic," Thor instructed.

"How the Helheim am I supposed to calm down when that _bloody wench_ has taken my family?!" Loki shouted, his eyes blazing angrily. "Ooh, she has sealed her fate!"

"Brother, this is good news!" Thor exclaimed. He raised his hands in surrender when Loki whipped around to glare at him. "We can track her. You said it yourself that magic is traceable. Amora uses a form of magic, so we can use that to find Sigyn. And the kids."

Loki's glow slowly started to fade. The energy dispersed into little wisps of green smoke and sparkles until it was gone.

"Thor, you are more intelligent than you look. Honestly, you keep proving that you _do _have something in that thick skull of yours," Loki said, leaving Thor to figure out if that was an insult or a compliment. Loki turned back around to kneel next to the symbol again. His dagger slid into his hand and he used it to cut around the stone and pry it out.

"I can still feel the magic," Loki murmured. "This is as good a start as we are going to get."

He stood back up, returned his dagger to it's hidden sheath in his sleeve, and dusted of the stone.

"We should head back to the car," Loki suggested and strode through the town and back up the hill. Thor followed quietly, ignoring Loki's sudden shift in mood.

It wasn't the best plan in the world, but at least it was a start - a great start. Amora was soon going to wish that she had never interfered with Loki's family in the first place.

**More coming soon! Please leave a review if you enjoy this story so far. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter, yay! :) I hope everyone's having a wonderful summer so far! This chapter is a bit more light-hearted, so enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Ten: We Don't Talk Anymore**

The procedure had already started. Amora stood at the front of the room with a gleeful look on her face as the Hydra scientists dove into their work.

Already, Sigyn was beginning to feel lightheaded and a little unfocused. She lost track of how many times she and the kids were injected with some sort of medicine or serum - it was probably the latter.

Despite all this, Fenris - ever the jokester, even in the face of death - wouldn't stop talking. He would ramble on about some random fact or trivia that he knew. This had been going on for a couple hours, and the only break that Fenris took was when one particular injection caused him to black out for a minute. If his plan was to annoy the scientists, then it was clearly working. Sigyn could make out their quiet complaints as Fenris asked questions like a persistent toddler.

"What's that for?" Fenris asked as another needle filled with a clear liquid poked through his skin.

"It's a formula," the scientist muttered in reply.

Fenris raised an eyebrow as he watched the liquid disappear into his arm. "Is is organic? Sleipnir is vegan, so it's gotta be organic or he won't touch it. Even though were technically Asgardians, we still gotta be careful about what we put in our bodies," Fenris quipped.

On the other side of the room, Sleipnir rolled his eyes and called out: "I don't eat _meat_, Fenris. Everything else is fine."

Fenris shrugged as far as his restraints would let him go. "Whatever you say big bro." He turned his head to look at the scientist next to him and whispered loudly, "He's a horse, you know, so it's understandable why he doesn't eat meat. I still think it's a little weird since I love bacon. Who doesn't like bacon? And steak? Ooh, grilled steak wrapped in bacon is the best! Have you ever tried it? You should try it." Fenris paused. "Speaking of food, I'm hungry. Do you have a snack? All this lying down is quite exhausting; I can't feel my toes right now and that is quite concerning. Does that have anything to do with what you're putting in me?"

Sigyn stifled a laugh as the scientist groaned and moved away from Fenris. She was glad that he had found someone else to annoy, rather than herself and his siblings.

"Hey, mister!" Fenris called after the oldest scientist who was sorting files at his desk on the other side of the room. "Could you get me a snack? I know that this isn't a five-star hotel with room service, but since we're so patient with you while you turn us into mindless drones, the least you could do is give us a snack."

The scientist shook his head and turned back to his files.

Fenris sniffed the air. "Hey, mister, you smell sick. When was the last time you've been to a doctor? I think you should get checked out," Fenris said and sniffed the air again. "Yeah, you gotta get that checked out; you have stage three lung cancer."

"By the Norns, Fenris!" Hela spoke up. "You just can't tell someone that!"

"But its true!" Fenris whined. "That's really serious for humans."

The oldest scientist slammed his stack of paper down and turned to glare at Fenris. "How did you know?" he rasped angrily.

"I'm a wolf, duh. Of course I can tell by smelling you. Sorry if it seems weird, but you know what they say about dogs. If dogs can smell illnesses, why can't wolves? Dogs descended from wolves, it's only fair that wolves have the same sense of smell. Naturally, wolves aren't inclined to help humans, but whatever," Fenris explained. "Actually, I don't know if you _should_ get that checked out, since you're the bad guy and all…"

"Fenris!" Sigyn scolded, even though she kind of agreed with him.

"Savage," Jormungandr mumbled from his own table. "Let me tell you, nothing escapes that kid. He's just like dad, all perceptive about everything."

"Who, by the way, is gonna come and kick your ass!" Fenris boomed with a wild grin on his face before his mind wandered elsewhere and launched into another random story about his love for human sports. "...and then he just slammed the ball through the hoop and won the game! It's amazing how humans can come up with different games. They've got football, soccer, basketball - which is my favorite; Michael Jordan is the best player ever, not gonna lie - volleyball, baseball, track, football - I said that already… um… cross country..."

"FOR THE LOVE OF CUPID, DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?!" Amora screeched angrily as she threw he hands up into the air in frustration and kicked the nearest guard. She glared at Fenris with angry, blazing eyes.

Fenris stared back with his mouth agape. He blinked and slowly, a grin spread onto his face.

"Oh, anger does _not_ suit you at all. You look hideous. I mean, you looked terrible before, but now, whoo man, there's no amount of words that I can use to justify how you look right now. Girl, you gotta lay off the makeup. I suggest a haircut as well. Maybe some basketball shorts and hoodie - those are super comfortable," Fenris rambled on.

Amora was shaking with anger. That had done it. She was _sick and tired _of Fenris' mouth running constantly.

She spun towards the nearest guard and practically shoved him towards the door. "Go get a muzzle for this savage beast before I kill someone!" Amora commanded. The guard quickly took off before Amora lost even more of her already short temper.

"'_Savage beast,'_" Fenris quoted. "Imma take that as a compliment. I mean, if you wanted me to stop talking, you could just let me go. I promise I'll leave you alone if you let me go. No more talking; I just walk out that door a free man, right into the sunset. That'd be the last you'd see of me."

"No more talking out of you if you know what is best for your siblings," Amora growled.

"Oh no, a threat!" Fenris rolled his head back dramatically and extended his arm as far as it would go, reaching towards Amora. " How ever could I survive? This is the last of me, fellow brethren! It has been nice knowing you!"

Amora's jaw tensed up and she bit so hard on her bottom lip that she drew blood.. "I would choose your words carefully, _child."_

"Do your worst, lady. There's nothing someone in high heels and a dress can beat what I haven't already been through. My stupid adopted grandpappy, Odin, locked me away under the castle with a bunch of dead skeletons. Nobody knew I existed. It was quite dark and lonely, being the only one alive. So, yeah, try to top _that," _Fenris sneered with a glare.

Amora's reply was cut off by the guard returning with a metal muzzle in his hands. The gleam of the metal caught Fenris' attention.

"Oh great, now I feel like a dog," Fenris grumbled as the guard approached Fenris cautiously to attach the muzzle over his mouth. "I'm a freaking _wolf_, not a dog. There's a difference, ya kn-"

With a click, the muzzle was locked into place, preventing Fenris from opening his bottom jaw to speak. Fenris shook his head in an attempt to dislodge it, but it was all in vain. The muzzle stayed put, much to Amora's and the Hydra agents' pleasure.

"Now that's just rude," Hela muttered as she stared at her brother in pity.

"If anyone else tries something like that again, the same thing will happen to you," Amora announced with a satisfied smirk.

The other four captives remained silent, not wanting to provoke an angry sorceress while they were tied up and operated on. They clearly were at a disadvantage; fueling Amora's anger would only cause them more harm than good.

Fenris' constant talking had also kept their minds off of what was going on around them. None of them were willing to admit it, but they were all scared. Scared about what would happen to them, the world, and ultimately, the universe if Amora completed her plans to build a mindless, Asgardian army.

Sergeant Barnes had suffered through years of this torment. How long would it take before they turned out like him? What would it feel like? Would they ever escape? Is Loki coming to save them? Or is this a ploy to get Loki to fall into Amora's hands? They all knew that Loki was a powerful sorcerer, capable of things that were only limited to his imagination.

What if he got turned into a mindless warrior? They all saw what happened to New York when he had little control over his own thoughts. He did all that without much magical aide; there's no telling what would happen now with his powers and abilities if Loki was to lose control again.

What if they brought Thanos back? What then? Would they serve him as a loyal army? It took a lot to kill him the first time, and with several powerful adversaries on his side, the universe might not be so lucky this time.

**Once again, I am typing this all on my phone, so I apologize for any mistakes. Please feel free to leave a review! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**It's been a while, I know. I wanted to take my time on this chapter and get it right. That being said, I must mention that it is a darker chapter and not as light toned as the others.**

** WARNING: Mentions of torture (Not too graphic, but still), mentions of suicidal thoughts/actions (not too graphic, we all know what was probably going through Loki's head at the end of Thor 1), and swearing.**

**Chapter Eleven: This 'Spells' Trouble**

"I don't get it," Pietro mused as he turned the stone over in his hands. "It's a _rock_."

"A rock that just so happens to have a rune carved into it," Loki said.

"Ruin?" Bucky asked. He was already awake from his nap by the time the brothers joined them back at the car. Bucky looked somewhat refreshed from his nap, but the messy hair and dark circles under his eyes gave away his exhaustion.

"_Rune. R-U-N-E"_ Loki corrected. "Runes are letters or symbols that are mostly used for magical rituals. There are many kinds, like Greek runes or Roman, but this one is Nordic. And I know the person whom this rune represents."

"Ah," Bucky said, the confused look on his face fading only slightly.

"So this Amora chick is teaming up with an evil, sword-wielding skeleton guy who has the Power Stone?" Pietro asked in order to recap the brothers' story.

"That is what we believe," Thor replied with a nod.

"And you can use this hunk of rock to find Amora in order to rescue your family?" Bucky asked.

"Yes," Loki replied. "I need to find other items for the spell to work, though."

"I don't get it," Pietro spoke up as he leaned against the hood of the Mustang and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I thought you couldn't use magic."

Loki nodded. "I personally cannot, but someone else can."

"How does that work? You said that only people naturally born with the ability to use magic is able to do so without dying a painful death," Bucky pointed out.

Loki sighed. It was going to be hard to explain to three non-magic users the concept of magic. Even Thor didn't know the most important aspects of magic, and he _grew up_ in a land of magic.

"Everyone emits an essence or _aura_. Those with born with magic are more easily traced because their aura sends off flares of pure energy every time they use their powers. It follows you around, even when you are not using it; much like an invisible fog. Do you know how you can sense electricity or a storm coming without seeing it?" Loki asked. Everyone nodded in response. Wonderful; so far so good.

"It's like that. Auras are different colors which is why my magic looks green. Skilled users can change their auras into different colors or shape it into something to create objects 'out of thin air,' but its still there and you cannot cover it up. You can block magic, but the presence will always be there. Each aura and personal store of magic is different and unique to each user, but they are all traceable," Loki explained. He looked around to make sure the others were paying attention, which they were. _Perfect._ _Moving on..._

"Bucky, you are right. If someone who doesn't hold the innate ability to possess magic, then their body will practically burst from the strain of holding it as it consumes them. Since magic is tuned into each person, only they are able to control and possess their own magic without much danger to themselves," Loki continued.

"So, like spontaneous combustion?" Bucky asked.

"Yes!" Loki practically shouted with a small jump. At least someone was getting it. "Exactly like spontaneous combustion! Those cases when people randomly burst into flame is most likely from them using someone else's magic, with horrific consequences."

"Lit," Pietro said with a small smile before chuckling at his own joke.

"Anyways, non-magic users can use _universal_ magic, which is much safer, but you need assistance from a spellbook or some other source of magic; and even then you can only perform small spells," Loki finished with a grin spreading across his face. This was the first time that he could openly talk about his magic (excluding Sigyn) with his audience actually interested and not mocking him for what he was saying.

"Won't they be able to track us?" Bucky pointed out.

"No!" Loki said with excitement in his voice. "Since none of you have ever performed a spell before, your aura will be _so_ small and unnoticeable compared to others out there. The only chance of anyone tracking you is if you perform a lot of spells, but there's a bigger chance that you would die from over exertion before then."

"We're going to die?" Pietro's showed visible concern.

"No, not if you do it only once. Spells feed off the performer's energy supply; doing too many could kill you but a single small one won't."

Pietro heaved a sigh of relief. Loki put his hands on his hips and looked around the small group.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Loki questioned.

"We're waiting for you to tell us what we need," Thor answered, causing Loki to blink.

"Oh, Yes! Well, we have an object that the person touched. All we need is juniper, a clear piece of quartz the size of a modern phone, a map of the earth, a horn of a male ram, sand from a beach in Norway, and a silver viking coin," Loki listed matter-of-factly.

Everyone blinked in confusion.

"What the heck?" Pietro muttered.

"How are we going to find all those things?" Bucky asked.

"Why do we have to sacrifice a ram?" Thor questioned.

Loki held his hands up to stop the onslaught of questions.

"I have it figured out. We'll have to split up-"

"Nobody is going off on their own," Thor interjected with a glare aimed at his brother.

"We can go with a partner. Thor, you and Pietro can get the juniper, sand, and quartz. Bucky and I will get the rest," Loki ordered.

"Wait, hold up!" Thor boomed. "It's late and we need some rest. And you are not leaving my sight." Thor pointed at Loki with meaning behind his stare.

"I will be fine, brother. You can call me if you want. 'You will miss a lot of joy and happiness if you constantly worry about losing someone,'" Loki quoted, turning what Thor had said earlier against him.

Thor sighed and gave up the battle that he knew he couldn't win

"Alright, but we need to eat and rest before we set out on a search mission," Thor said.

Everyone agreed to that and willingly began to set up a small camp on the hill as the sun sank behind the horizon, covering the town with a starry veil of darkness.

/\/\/\/\

The stars shone in the night sky like trillions of little diamonds, lighting up the camp with a soft glow. The moon also shone brightly, reflecting the light of the sun onto a figure sitting on the top of a hill.

It was a peaceful night; frogs sang their nightly chorus, crickets chirped unseen, and nocturnal animals crept out and about on their own little adventures, but it wasn't peaceful for one man.

After the rag-tag team of four had found some food in Thor's home in New Asgard, they had started a small campfire and went to sleep right away.

That was almost two hours ago, and it was just past midnight. Anxiety and constant worry made Loki toss and turn on the surprisingly soft ground. He had eventually given up on sleeping and was now sitting on the edge of the hill, staring down onto the town, lost in his thoughts.

Usually, people bragged about having a vivid and creative imagination, but now Loki was hating himself for having that gift. His brain came up with horrible -and unrealistic - scenarios that only made Loki's fear for his girlfriend and kids grow even more.

For most of his life, Loki had felt alone. Nobody really understood him. Thor - bless his soul - had tried to, but he didn't count since he was Loki's brother. Older brothers were _supposed_ to care for their younger siblings; and Loki was grateful for Thor's friendship and protection.

Instead, Loki wanted someone his age who understood what he felt. He had met Sigyn at a very young age and had started dating not soon after. It was nice having someone to talk to, someone who was actually interested in his magical gifts.

When Sigyn came into his life, it felt like a blessing. Loki never really had friends, but that girl was something else. It was like they were made for each other. Thor always teased Loki, saying that he practically worshiped the ground that she walked on. And it was true. There was _nothing_ that Loki wouldn't do, _nothing_ that he wouldn't sacrifice to spend the rest of his life with her.

The memories of his children were still a bit foggy since Odin's curse to make them forget one another was still wearing off, but they were happy memories. Odin had looked at Loki's children with disdain and disgust. Loki, on the other hand, tried to give them the chance to prove themselves. They weren't monsters, they were wonderful beings.

Sleipnir was a shy genius who had helped sort out many problems before fights started. Jormungandr, who seemed cold and angry on the outside, cared deeply about his family and would sacrifice himself to save them. Fenris was a literal ball of energy and sunshine. Everywhere he went, he brought smiles to people's lives. Hela was a sweetheart and the best damn ruler Valhalla and Helhiem had ever seen. The people of Valhalla loved her, and she actually cared about her people. Loki had heard many people say that she was the best thing that had ever happened to the two realms.

Loki had lost many years with his kids; years that he had lived without even knowing they existed. He had distanced himself from Sigyn after the New York Incident, but she forgave him and they made up. He had vowed to be the best father and boyfriend he could be. And for a while, they were all happy...

But now _they _were gone. Stolen from him as easily as one takes candy from an infant. His entire reason why he lived - excluding Thor - was in danger, and it seemed more and more likely that he would never see him again.

It had been a couple days since their disappearances; every moment could only bring them closer to their deaths.

He hated waiting. He hated his stupid imagination for showing him vivid images of Sigyn lying dead on the floor of an abandoned warehouse, Hela crying as she sat in a pool of her own blood as her brothers lay scattered around her, each dead and badly bruised and bloody…

A hand on Loki's shoulder made him jump and whip his head around with one hand hovering over a hidden dagger sheath near his ankle.

"Whoah, relax," Bucky said while holding his hands up in surrender. The moonlight shone onto his face, highlighting the dark circles under his eyes. "I just came to check on you. Can't sleep?"

Loki slowly relaxed and turned back forwards the town as Bucky settled himself next to him on the grass.

"I just can't...not with them out there. They need my help, but I have no damn clue where they are," Loki muttered. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned before bringing his legs into his chest, hugging them close, and resting his chin on his knees.

"I know how you feel. When I was in the army, I spent most of the nights worried about my family back home, wondering if I made the right choice to leave them to fend for their own as I fought for their lives. It really makes you tired, though; all that worrying when you know that they're fine," Bucky replied softly.

"But I don't what Amora and Gorr wants with them. Those two working together only means a terrible further for us. Plus, with the Mark of Th-Th-_him_ in my backyard. All this and the Power Stone has to mean something, doesn't it?" Loki asked, looking at Bucky expectantly.

Bucky shrugged. "I don't know, but just the thought of it sounds terrifying."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Why are you even here?" He blurted out suddenly without thinking. "I mean, you really don't know me and you have nothing to gain from helping me."

Bucky frowned. A wave of sadness washed over him. "Because I'm just like you. Before my dad died, he told me to the man of the household and to take care of my mom and siblings. Being the oldest, it was _my_ job to keep everyone line and fed. The Depression hit us hard, especially since we didn't have that much money to begin with. My mom couldn't work since she had to watch my baby brother, so I did everything in my power to keep them safe and food on the table. I worked several jobs, stopped bullies, and helped with homework. Once I went away for the army, everything went south. There was an attack at the park where they were at. I lost my mom and brothers in the span of two days. My sister escaped, but she joined the army. I tried to convince her to go home, since it was more dangerous there instead of home, but she didn't listen. I couldn't stop the Hydra agent from shooting her in the head..." Bucky looked up at Loki, his eyes brimming with tears. "Maybe the reason why I'm here is because I couldn't protect my own family, but maybe I can try to save yours."

Silence hung in the air for several, tense moments. Even the crickets seemed to sense the high emotions between the two ex-villains.

"I-I'm so sorry," Loki finally managed to say.

Bucky wiped his eyes with the back of his human hand and sniffed. "I've had time to figure things out, but it still hurts."

"Of course it hurts. Nobody can ever forget losing a family member, especially not like that," Loki exclaimed. He paused before speaking again, "Were you close to them?"

A hint of a smile tugged on Bucky's lips. "Yeah. They could be annoying little twerp at times, but aren't all younger siblings the same way?"

Loki gave a small chuckle. "I wouldn't know. However, I can guarantee that Thor has been annoyed by me countless times."

A flicker of sadness crossed Loki's features and he hugged his knees closer to his chest.

"All my life, I looked up to Thor. He was my hero, and I wanted to be just like him. I guess that idea faded a long time ago," Loki muttered.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Look at me," Loki ordered sadly and spread his arms out. "I've killed people, innocent people, which has only fueled people's hatred towards me. Even growing up, everyone liked Thor better. He was the 'golden child after all; I was nothing more than a disappointment."

"I'm sure that's not true," Bucky interjected.

Loki shook his head in disagreement. "Odin always played favoritism towards Thor. It was painfully obvious, too. I was the one who always got in trouble. I was the one who got yelled at for not being like Thor. _I _was the one being scolded for studying magic instead of learning how to world a sword," Loki continued. "I tried to impress Odin by defeating Asgard's enemy…"

There was a slight pause. Bucky waited in anticipation for Loki to continue.

A small voice broke the heavy veil of silence.

"I never told anyone this, but when I let go of that staff, I did so with full intentions of dying," Loki whispered softly. Bucky stared at the other man in quiet shock. This was a whole new side of Loki that he was surprised to witness.

"I never intended for it to go this far. I never wanted to hurt anyone. Now, innocent people are dead because I was too blind to see the damage that my actions were causing." Loki's voice hitched and he sniffed before adding: "Th-Than-_He_ wanted me to assist him with his plans to assemble all the Infinity Stones. _He _thought that because I let go of the staff, I was willing to help him. I refused so many times. _He_ tortured me, _hurt _me, over and over and over again."

Loki rambled on about his time in the void in vivid detail before turning to face Bucky. Tears were streaming down his pale cheeks. It was clear that the fallen prince was reliving painful memories, and talking about them made it worse.

"And that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that I _broke_. I gave in and let _him_ take control. _He_ owned me. I nothing but a slave used for _his_ entertainment. If I never broke, imagine how many lives would be saved. I should have just died; it would be better for everyone..."

The eerie sound of Loki's quiet crying filled the open air, making the shadows seem longer and darker. Loki didn't know why he told Bucky all that. He never went into detail about his time in the void. Sigyn and Thor had an inkling of what happened, but nothing more than that.

"I'm sorry," Loki apologized while wiping his cheeks with a tissue. "I don't know why I told you. I shouldn't have…"

"It's alright," Bucky interrupted gently. "I know how you feel, being unable to control your own actions, being broken and used for other people's benefit. I couldn't take I anymore, not after DC, and just wanted to end it all. I was so damn close to pulling the trigger, but I realized that Steve wouldn't like that. After all, he fought to bring me back to my senses; I couldn't let his efforts go to waste."

Bucky placed a hand on Loki's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Whatever you do, just know that there are people out there who genuinely care for you. Let them be the reason for you to keep on living. I know it's hard to talk about your thoughts, but talking with someone how you feel helps."

"How am I supposed to stay positive when five of the reasons why I'm still alive are missing?" Loki questioned. "And the one person who ruined my life is possibly involved in this. How the Helheim am I supposed to be hopeful...I thought that _he _was done thing my life, but it turns out that _he _might possibly be alive. And somehow connected to all this!"

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "We _will_ find them. They _will_ be alright. If I know one thing, it's that it takes guts or just plain stupidity to mess with someone's family. And I'm telling you as a friend, we _will_ find them and kill whoever's ass that was responsible for this," Bucky exclaimed with a new fire in his eyes.

Loki stared at the ground. "A friend? I've never had a friend before…"

Bucky didn't comment. Instead he scooted closer to Loki and gave him a hug. Whatever force had compelled Bucky to do so left him in question, but he knew deep down that Loki was someone whom he could trust.

Loki jumped a bit as the ex-assassin wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder. After a while, Loki relented and hugged Bucky back. The two sat like that for a whole before Bucky pulled away.

"Come on and get some sleep," Bucky said. "You don't do them any good being tired when we save them."

Bucky stood up and extended his human hand towards Loki. Loki gave a small smile and grateful let Bucky pull him to his feet.

The two highly wanted criminals walked back towards the camp, high on emotions and newly formed bond that was quickly turning into a lifelong friendship.

**Let me know if I missed a spelling or grammar mistake. It will be a while before I post again, since I'm going on vacation for a week and then getting my wisdom teeth removed after that. I will be 'out of commission' for a while because of that and I still have to start writing the next chapter. On the other hand, leave comment if you enjoyed this chapter and what you are looking forward to. I got the spell idea for. The TV show Supernatural, so I'm sorry if you are a bit confused on the laws of magic. I tried explaining it to the best of my ability. I hope that all the subplots make sense as well. If you want to learn more about Bucky's family's backstory, check out my story "Oh Suzannah, Don't You Cry For Me."**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm baack! :P I hope everyone is having an awesome summer so far. I know I am, even though it's just a repeat of the same old running and working out. Though I got to say, getting my wisdom teeth removed was an experience. I've never been put out before, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. That being said, I also saw Spider-Man: Far From Home. The precious Spider-Child is so adorable and cute and I just want to protect him! *insert proud tears here* Back on topic, I apologize for the wait. As I said earlier, I was busy with vacation and losing all my wisdom by getting my teeth removed. Vacation wasn't that much fun since my older brother, dad, uncle, and I were all sick at on point or another. Other than that, it was fun. Enjoy this next chapter. I'm excited for this one and I hope you are too! :D**

**Chapter Twelve: A Recipe For Disaster**

They were up before the sun even started rising. After the four cleaned up their camp, they split up in search for the items needed for the spell.

Thor made Loki promise to call him if something even remotely dangerous appears and to meet back at New Asgard when they had everything. Valkyrie and the remaining Asgardians were not coming back until later that week, so the group had decided that New Asgard was the best place to perform the spell.

After a parting hug between the two brothers, they split ways. Pietro and Thor went to collect their items via flying, leaving Loki and Bucky with the car.

"So, where to first?" Bucky asked as he watched Thor take off with a screaming Pietro gripped tightly in his hands.

"I was thinking we could go to the Viking Ship Museum first to get the coin," Loki said. "Plus, I bet they have a gift shop with maps or a store nearby so we can buy a map there."

"Where's that at?" Bucky asked. He was unfamiliar with the area, and quite frankly, the newness with all the past events put him on edge.

"Oslo, Norway. It's a bit of a drive, but I know where it is," Loki stated.

"How much of a drive, since we're kind of on a time crunch right now."

Loki shrugged. "Roughly an hour and ten minutes. Maybe less if we hurry."

"Great. Hop in!"

Bucky settled into the driver's seat and started the car. Sadly, it wasn't like the Mustang.

They had left Loki's car back in at the Seattle airport since they couldn't exactly take a car to Norway via a passenger airplane.

It had taken them forever to get through TSA at the airport, but with a little convincing from Loki, they had managed to make it through without any trouble or questions asked. Flying over to New Asgard was the only available option since a giant ocean separated the two countries. It was a long flight and Loki spent most it stressing out about how much time they were wasting.

They had rented a car from the airport in Norway. Although it was a blue, 2015 Ford Fusion that surprisingly fit all four of them comfortably, considering how tall they each were, it just wasn't the same as driving a muscle car.

As soon as Loki buckled his seat belt, Bucky stepped on the gas and left a rut in the grass before jumping back onto the dirt road that led into New Asgard. Loki tried to sit back and relax as he gave Bucky directions to the museum, but his nerves refused to let him focus entirely on the drive. All throughout the drive to Oslo, Loki kept imagining horrible situations where Sigyn and his children were stuck in terrible danger.

The two drove past open fields and small, picturesque towns, but the beautiful scenery blurred into one, continuous motion as Loki stared out the passenger's window as his mind wandered.

In a little over an hour, and after several toll roads, the two finally arrived at the Viking Ship Museum. Bucky pulled into the parking lot and found a nice, shady parking spot.

"It's kind of not what I was expecting," Bucky commented as his stretched his legs.

"Are museums different in America?" Loki asked. "I have never been to one, so I wouldn't know."

"Eh," Bucky muttered. "I'm just used to having large, marble buildings with huge tourist signs and information posted everywhere. I didn't even see that many signs advertising about this on the way here."

Indeed, the Viking Ship Museum looked more like a monastery than a typical American museum. The building had white walls with a copper colored, intersecting gable style roof. Paved walkways surrounded the building and the large patches of grass and several flower beds. Large glass windows welcomed visitors at the entrance.

Loki led with renewed energy in his step. Last night was still fresh in his mind, but it was nice to talk to someone who could relate. That conversation and a night's rest lifted a lot off Loki's shoulders. Although there was constant worry following him around, Loki felt better when he was doing something that kept his mind focused.

After they paid the entrance fee, Bucky and Loki wandered around the museum in search for a coin.

They tried to slow their pace down to a tourist's stroll, so as not to raise suspicion, but Loki was itching to find the coin.

"So how are we going to find a coin and take it?" Bucky whispered quietly to Loki. "I mean, it's a museum after-wow!"

Bucky stopped and stared as the entrance opened up to a larger area inside. It was more impressive than the outside of the building. The ceiling reached up in a steep slope. That, combined with the large windows made the museum feel open and airy as sunlight naturally lit up a majority of the inside. An extensive collection of large Viking longships filled the open floor. Beautifully carved out of wood and displayed perfectly, the Viking ships were an overwhelmingly wonderful surprise.

Bucky gazed in awe at the first ship in the room that reached his field of vision. The ship was beautifully carved from a dark form of wood with distinct Viking features. Around each of the ships, ropes blocked visitors from getting too close to the wooden vessels. All of the ships, although old and clearly used, were in fantastic condition.

"Wow," Bucky repeated, craning his neck to stare up at the ship in front of him. "They're bigger than I imagined."

Loki shrugged and followed Bucky as the ex-assassin walked around the front of the ship.

"Have you seen one of these?" Bucky asked, waving his human hand towards the next ship.

Loki decided not to remind Bucky that he - in fact - had seen his fair share of Viking ships. He _was _Asgardian, afterall. It wasn't like the Vikings worshiped the Asgardians as _gods_, or anything. Instead, he let other man wander around the museum with his mouth agape in fascination.

"How'd they get it to move? There's no mast on this one," Bucky noted out loud.

"That one is a 'light-freight merchant ship.' They are used for carrying light loads for trading. Usually they use a combination of wind power and rowing," Loki explained. "The design allows the crew to easily switch into reverse, which is perfect for navigating small channels and on the battlefield."

A young woman with long, brown hair pulled into a ponytail walked up to the two. "You know a lot about this subject, don't you?" She mused in a thick, Norwegian accent. Her name tag - which proved she was an employee - said that her name was Alexandra.

Loki half-smirked and half-chuckled. "Well, I _would_ consider myself an expert," Loki quipped.

Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Loki shared a quick glance at Bucky. Bucky's were shining with excitement and he gave Loki a knowing smile.

Technically, he _was_ a Norse god, but Alexandra didn't need to know that. Loki doubted that she would be pleased to learn that a criminal wanted for murder (actually two criminals) was standing right in front of her.

"I'm a college professor from Seattle, Washington. I majored in history, but Viking history was always the most intriguing. Let me just say that I spent an embarrassingly large amount of my time at the library during my college years," Loki lied with a small smile.

"He's a nerd," Bucky offered, which won him a glare from the Asgardian.

"Says the one who was marveling at these ships just minutes ago," Loki snapped back teasingly.

Alexandra watched them tease each other, her eyes flickering between the two. Loki turned back to the employee.

"Please excuse my friend; he likes to bully me," Loki apologized.

Alexandra dismissed the joking around with a wave of her hand. "Oh, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, especially not after we learned that Norse mythology is real."

"You shouldn't believe everything you read. Not every myth is entirely truthful," Loki uttered without much thought.

Alexandra blinked. "Oh? Why?"

Loki waved his hand as if he were brushing away the question. "Nevermind that. I want to show my friend some of the smaller relics. Do you know where they are?"

Alexandra looked like she wanted to question him further, but she decided to let the conversation come to an end. "They are along the walls near each ship. The largest collection is in the back part of the museum," Alexandra directed.

"Thank you," Loki said and walked away without waiting for a response.

Bucky jogged to catch up to Loki and matched his stride. "Sooo," Bucky said, dragging the word out. "Back there with the myth stuff. Not everything is true?"

Loki gave Bucky a sidelined glance and tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Most of the myths are exaggerated. It's like rumors - it starts off with a truth and grows into a large jumbled mess of lies and made up fantasizes."

"I thought Sigyn was your girlfriend, not your wife?"

"Like I said, exaggerated."

"Did you really give birth to an eight-legged horse?" Bucky asked with sudden interest.

Stopping in the middle of a step, Loki rounded on Bucky with an angry glare. "Is that all you're interested in? You're just like everyone else."

Bucky stared at his boots, focusing on the fact that he was going to need new ones soon rather than the angry god glaring holes through him. "I didn't mean-"

Loki let an exasperated sigh as he let go of his sudden anger. "Its fine. People always assume. Its annoying but understandable."

"So did you?" Bucky pressed with a little hesitation.

"Yes, but it wasn't my choice."

Bucky looked back up from his boots. "What?"

"The same thing happened with my other kids, especially Hela," Loki muttered absentmindedly while he read the sign above a display case.

"How?" Bucky asked, genuinely curious.

"Long story," Loki said and shaking himself from his thoughts, turned back to Bucky. "But that's not the point. I suggest we continue searching instead of discussing my children's origins."

Bucky decided to drop the clearly sore subject and let Loki take the lead as they walked towards the back of the museum. Unlike Loki - who was briskly walking while facing straight ahead - Bucky couldn't help but gaze at each ship he passed. He still wondered how someone could come up with such a unique and practical design while making the ship look like a piece of art.

At the back of the museum, more glass cases lined the walls. Signs described in detail what was displayed inside. Loki picked out a glass case and peered inside. He did this with several cases before stopping at one just a couple displays from the end of the right side.

"There it is," Loki exclaimed quietly and pointed at a small collection of silver coins spread out on a wooden board. The sign above the display explained the currency that Vikings used, but Loki ignored it.

"Do you see the little engravings?" Loki asked.

Bucky leaned closer and squinted through the glass. This one had a carving of a dragon head with little scribbles around it. "It looks like there's letters from a different language."

"It's Norwegian," Loki explained. "It just proves that it's a valid coin."

Bucky straightened back up. "You can read that?"

Loki fixed Bucky with a look that said "are-you-really-serious."

"Right," Bucky said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll shut up."

"Good," Loki muttered. "I don't want you to strain your last brain cell in an effort to redeem yourself from embarrassment."

Bucky paused for a second before slapping Loki the arm and emitting a very loud "Hey!"

A couple of tourists nearby looked up from their own display cases and stared at the two. Loki gave them a small wave and apologetic smile before turning back towards Bucky.

"Keep it down, will you!" Loki hissed under his breath. "We are not in America any more. People talk quieter here and I don't want any uninvited attention."

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What are you, the 'noise police?'" He questioned. Nevertheless, he had toned down his volume several dials.

"To be honest, I thought you would be quieter in person," Loki retorted.

"Well, we're even, because I thought that you would be more talkative."

"I guess we are both disappointments."

Bucky shrugged and uncrossed his arms. "Yeah, I suppose…"

Silence hung between the two before Bucky spoke up.

"How are we going to get this coin out of here?" He whispered. "I mean, we can't exactly take it right now."

Loki frowned and tilted his head in thought. "Technically, I can lay claim to it."

Seeing the look of confusion on Bucky's face, Loki continued:

"We use relatively the same currency on Asgard. I _am_ a Norse deity, so I can claim ownership over any of these relics," Loki explained.

"I doubt that would work; you're not really a fan favorite on Earth," Bucky pointed out.

Loki shrugged and looked down at dragon head coin. "You are right; that wouldn't work. What if we come back tonight and take it?"

"We're going to _steal_ a _relic_ from a _museum_?" Bucky hissed, keeping his voice low.

"We need it more than they do," Loki mentioned.

"That doesn't change the fact that it's _stealing_!"

"If you have any suggestions on what we should do, feel free to enlighten me," Loki said with a touch of annoyance in his voice.

Bucky shook his in disbelief. "I'm tired of doing criminal activity. First we break into the Avengers headquarters and now this!" Bucky sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. "But I guess I should have expected this when I decided to join you."

Loki grinned. "Then it's settled; we will come back tonight."

"And what are we going to do in the meantime?" Bucky asked.

"We are going to get the other items," Loki exclaimed with a small pat on Bucky's back.

Bucky took a deep breath as Loki spun on his heel and strode back towards the entrance. "I wonder how Thor and Pietro are doing…"

**More coming soon, I promise. Also, if you are interested, I am planning on writing more origin stories for Jormungandr, Fenris, and Hela sometime. I already have one for Sleipnir since he is the the oldest of the four (An Eight-Legged What?!). Please leave a comment if you want to. I'm not forcing you to, but I'd really appreciate it. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey-o! Guess what? I finally got a laptop! Whooo! It's kind of old and it take forever to get going, but it works! My older brother got my dad's old work laptop, but my brother got a really nice laptop from his boss so he gave me the old one. And it's the best thing I've got until school (which starts in less than a month *shudder*) starts and I get the school issued laptops. I also forgot to mention this last chapter, but the last chapter and this one was probably the most research I have ever done for a fanfiction story. The Viking Ship Museum is a real place. I've never been there since I've never left my country and I don't have a passport. (I also highly doubt my parents would want to go to Norway anytime soon). My school did have a foreign exchange student from Norway, but other than that and some Viking knowledge, I really didn't know accurate details about museums and Norway in general before I looked it up. Moving on, enjoy this next chapter. Some action is coming up soon in the next few chapters, so stay tuned! :)**

**Chapter Thirteen: It's Strange**

Flying wasn't a new experience for Pietro. No, he had flown a couple times in his life and in Valhalla after he died. This time, however, he wasn't in an airplane. As much as he trusted the god of thunder, Pietro couldn't shake the feeling that he could fall to his doom at any moment if Thor's tight grip on his arms lessened a bit.

Pietro let out an unmanly scream when he and Thor took off with a sudden burst, leaving behind a cloud of dust. The wind rushed through Pietro's ears and hair, making it hard to think straight. His eyes watered because of the force of flying. They ascended to the height that skydivers usually dive from, which was around twelve thousand feet. The clouds hid them from the view of nearby towns and prying eyes. He was actually surprised that he could still breathe, but since skydivers jump from this height, it seemed logical that his breathing wasn't affected as much as he had thought it would.

They didn't have parachutes, which made the short flight to the nearest beach all the more terrifying.

Luckily, the beach wasn't too far away, or Pietro was sure that he was going to be sick in the next minute or so.

The beach had shining, white sand and sparkling, blue water lapping at the shore. It was surprisingly vacant of any tourists or locals, making it the perfect landing spot as Thor slowly descended onto the soft sand. Pietro immediately dropped to his hands and knees in an effort to quell his shaking limbs. His stomach rumbled and threatened to throw up his meager breakfast of toast and water.

Thor let out a hearty laugh and helped Pietro to his feet.

"First time flying?" Thor asked with a sly grin on his face.

Pietro brushed the sand off his clothes and gave Thor a confident glare that ultimately failed under Thor's piercing, blue gaze. "First time like _that_," Pietro finally admitted, his face sullen and a little green.

Thor clapped Pietro on the back, sending the native Sokovian staggering forward a few steps. "It takes some getting used to," Thor chuckled. "But we should gather what we came here for."

Thor tugged a small container out of his pocket and scooped up a chunk of sand. He looked at it and shrugged. "That should do it, right?"

Pietro, who was still disheveled and a little out of it, gave Thor a quick nod before dumping the contents of his stomach onto the glittering sand.

"Oh please," Thor said, rolling his eyes. "It wasn't _that_ bad."

Pietro gave Thor a death glare and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Says the one who flies all the time."

"It can't be that different from running," Thor remarked.

"I'm not running through the air where I could fall at any moment and possibly _die_," Pietro snapped back. "And besides, _I'm_ the one who's in control of how fast I go."

"I had a good grip on you. I wouldn't have let you fall," Thor promised.

The ex-king was right. Everyone could trust Thor with their lives since the Asgardian's promise was as good as the truth.

"What else do we have to get?" Pietro asked. He straightened up and stretched his arms above his head.

Thor looked at a list that Loki had written on a piece of paper, claiming that "Thor tended to forget things easily."

"Juniper and a piece of quartz the size of a modern smartphone," Thor answered and tucked the paper back in his pocket.

"Where are we going to get those?" Pietro wondered out loud.

"Well, I know we can get the juniper at a flower shop somewhere," Thor mused while scratching his chin at the jawline in thought.

"And the quartz?"

"Possibly at a quarry or a gemstone shop."

"Great…" Pietro muttered sullenly.

"Are you ready?" Thor asked and put the container of sand into the inside pocket of his jacket and zipped the pocket close.

"More flying?" Pietro pouted sadly.

The only response that he got before they took off again was a mischievous grin that looked like it belonged more on Loki's face rather than Thor's.

/\/\/\/\

The flower shop down on main street of the town only twenty miles away from New Asgard was filled with flowers of all colors of the rainbow. Roses in pots framed the doorway. Small bushes and other flowers that Pietro couldn't recall the names for grew in more pots and larger garden beds on the front lawn of the flower shop. The front sign was written in Norwegien so Pietro let Thor lead the way into the small but busy shop. Several people wandered around and looked at the plants that they came to buy.

A little bell jingled when Thor opened the door. Shelves stocked with countless types of plant seeds sat behind the counter. An elderly woman with her snowy hair tucked into a tight bun greeted the misfit duo when they stepped into the small store.

"Hello!" the woman called out with an energetic tone that contrasted her age and appearance. She had a heavy Norweigan accent. "What can I help you with?"

Thor stepped forward and flashed the woman a pearly, white smile. "I was hoping you would say that. My friend and I were looking for a juniper plant."

The elderly woman stood up and grabbed a cane from behind the counter. She led the pair outside to where an assortment of potted plants sat soaking in the sun.

She tapped one plant with the tip of her cane and faced Thor. "This is the one you are looking for."

"Thank you," Thor said and picked the small plant up.

"Will that be all?"

"Yes," Thor replied. The woman nodded and hobbled back inside. Thor followed her to pay for it, leaving Pietro outside to look around outside. The other customers paid no attention to the Sokovian, which was fine with him. Usually he liked attention since he was an extrovert, but right now his mind was focused on different matter other than socializing.

"Alright," Thor announced, closing the shop's door with one hand and carrying the juniper plant in the other. "Ready to get the quartz?"

Pietro sighed. "Please, no more flying."

"We are not flying with a plant," Thor laughed. "I asked the woman if she knew where I could buy quartz, and she said that there was a gemstone shop just a couple blocks from here."

A suspicious expression crossed Pietro's face. Thor noticed and continued: "I told her that we are shopping for our girlfriends. Apparently this is a tourist town and there are plenty of stores that sell souvenirs so its not uncommon for people to buy strange items."

"Yeah, but quartz? Who buys a juniper plant and then goes to buy a chunk of _quartz_?" Pietro questioned sarcastically, winning a shrug from Thor.

"Who doesn't want a piece of quartz mined in Norway?"

"Fair enough," Pietro muttered, giving up on the argument. "Let's go then."

/\/\/\/\

"Doesn't this seem too easy?" Pietro asked. They had found a decent sized piece of quartz at the gemstone shop and were walking through the busy town. The woman at the flower shop was right, it was quite a tourist trap with all the Norwegian style buildings and beautiful scenery.

"It does," Thor replied.

Pietro carried the much heavier quartz, trying not to complain about it's weight unless Thor tease him about it. Thor hadn't offered to switch and Pietro was too fond of his pride to ask for a lighter load. Besides, Thor appeared attached to the plant, considering the way he was clutching the pot tightly in his arms as if someone was going to steal it.

"I hope Loki is having as good as luck as we are," Thor mumbled, mostly to himself but Pietro sensed the concern hidden in his voice.

"I'm sure they're doing just fine. If not, they would have texted us," Pietro said reassuringly. He adjusted the bag containing the rock to his other hand, trying to disperse the weight. He never thought that something so small could weigh more than he had expected.

"Or they could be injured somewhere with no way of contacting us…" Thor's voice trailed off. A glance at his face showed genuine concern, probably mostly for his brother.

"I can text Loki if you want," Pietro offered. Thor nodded his approval and extended his hand to grab the bag. Pietro gladly gave up the quartz and fished his phone out of his pocket. He typed away on his phone for a bit and then tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans.

"What did you say?" Thor asked and handed the bag back. Pietro took it with a small pout.

"I told him that we got our things and that we were heading back to New Asgard now," Pietro answered. His stomach suddenly rumbled. "On second thought, some lunch would be nice."

"Already? What time is it?"

Pietro glanced at his phone screen. "It's almost noon. Geez, it took us all morning to get _three_ items!"

"Half of it was you throwing up and complaining about flying," Thor teased.

Pietro glared at the taller man. "We could have taken the rental car, but _nooo_."

"Loki and Bucky needed the car. Loki cannot fly nor could he teleport since he's on a magic restriction."

"Can we at least get something to eat?" Pietro asked, changing the subject.

Thor sighed and found a nearby cafe. They ordered sandwiches and drinks and sat at an outside table. People streamed by on their own schedules, leaving the duo to eat in peace; at least for a while. One little girl dragged her mother by wrist over to take a picture with the "awesome god of thunder."

And that was the end of visitors - at least so they thought.

Just as they finished eating and were ready to leave, a tall, thin man in an expensive tuxedo walked towards them. Up close, Thor noticed the man's distinctive goatee and gelled hairdo.

"Dammit," Thor cursed under his breath.

Pietro looked up from taking a sip of his drink. "What?"

Thor motioned with his head at the man nearing their table.

"Doctor Strange," Thor said sourly.

"Thor," the other man replied with a curt nod in acknowledgement.

"What are you doing in Norway?" Thor asked suspiciously.

Strange ignored the question. "May I sit?" he asked, although it sounded like they really didn't have a choice.

Thor watched with a piercing glare as Strange sat down in the extra chair and clasped his hands on the table.

"I am here for one reason that I'm sure you are already aware of, _Thor_," Strange explained with his own suspicion in his voice.

"Please, continue," Thor said with bitter resentment in his voice. Although he knew that Stephen Strange was on his side, the man kept so many secrets that it made even someone like Thor a little hesitant to share personal details. It was also quite scary how fast the former surgeon had gained his magical powers. Even though Strange had helped him find his father, Thor still didn't entirely trust the man.

"Yesterday morning, there was an attack on New Asgard. And then later, there was a flare up of raw magical energy," Strange explained. His attempt to hide his smug smile was not going well. "I'm here since I keep-"

"A watch list of dangerous individuals who might attack Earth," Thor interrupted. The 'flare up of raw magical energy' had to be when Loki lost his temper when he found out that Amora was involved. Thor grimaced internally. They were going to have to be more careful if Strange had noticed. "Yes, I know. Valkyrie told me what happened and I'm here with my friend to figure out who attacked."

Strange tilted his head and stared at Pietro as if noticing that he existed for the first time. "Yes, your _friend_." Pietro smirked in recognition.

Strange squinted and peered closer at Pietro, similar to how a scientist would look at an organism on a microscope. The sorcerer studied Pietro for a bit before leaning back in his seat.

"You are not entirely human," Strange remarked.

"Nice observation, Sherlock," Pietro countered with noticeable sass.

"That's an interesting accent. Where are you from?" Strange pressed, searching for the reason why Pietro seemed different.

"It's interesting how many people you meet on a place like Sakaar," Thor interrupted quickly before Pietro could answer.

Strange regarded them with an apprehensive stare, deciding whether or not to persist.

"I hope you two find whoever attacked New Asgard before they come back and actually kill someone this time," Strange ordered after letting out a sigh.

"We're working on it," Thor replied. "Why don't you look for the attackers as well? I'm sure you could easily find them with all your 'knowledge.'" Thor tried to keep the bite from his words, but Strange was starting to get on his nerves.

"Unlike you, I don't waste my time sorting out trivial matters," Strange answered.

"If this attack is so '_trivial,'_ then why are you here?" Pietro retorted.

"I have my reasons," Strange said, standing up and buttoning his suit jacket close. "Find the attacker and deal with them as you choose."

"We don't take orders from you," Thor called out, stopping Strange in his tracks.

Strange spun on his heel and faced Thor. "No, I suppose you don't. Just try not be so reckless, like your brother."

"My brother is _dead_. And I'm sure that if he was alive, he would be more willing to help than you are," Thor said, trying to keep Loki's secret. Loki was, after all, supposed to be dead. The last thing they needed right now was Strange figuring out that Thor was lying about his brother and getting in more trouble than they were at the moment.

"Do you really trust the man?" Strange asked. "He was a murderer and a liar."

"You don't know the whole truth," Thor snapped, his temper rising. It was one thing for Strange to order them around, but to insult Thor's little brother was something else entirely. "He died a _hero!"_

"I'm sure he did," Strange muttered sarcastically. He spun on his heel and strode away, wisely distancing himself from Thor's rising temper.

Small sparks of lightning sparked and flashed around Thor's balled fists as his shot to his feet. Pietro noticed and placed a hand on Thor's shoulder despite the fact that there was a large chance of him getting electrocuted.

"Let him go. We'll deal with him later," Pietro said.

Thor shrugged off Pietro's hand. "That coward - insulting Loki like that! Who does he think is?"

Pietro shrugged. "Apparently, he's the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Loki could win against him easily," Thor retorted.

"I doubt that Loki would appreciate you picking his fights for him," Pietro said.

The sparks of lightning died down until they disappeared. Thor sat back down in his chair, suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion.

"We are going to have to be more careful with _him_ around," Thor muttered.

"And we will, but right now we need to get to New Asgard."

Thor sighed and stood back up, this time with less energy than earlier.

"You up for flying?" Pietro asked.

"We can walk," Thor said tiredly and gripping the juniper plant tightly, walked down the street back the way they came. Pietro hustled to catch up after dumping the leftovers of their lunch in a nearby trash can.

It seemed like they could never catch a break. Strange's appearance just made everything even more complicated than it already was. Loki was definitely not going to like hearing about Strange's prying demeanor.

On the whole way back to New Asgard, Thor wondered if Doctor Strange knew about Loki and the real reason why they were in Norway instead of the United States. Deep down, Thor questioned if Doctor Strange was somehow spying on them.

**For those who haven't heard, Thor 4 (or Thor: Love and Thunder) is confirmed with Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) as Thor. I was hoping for Chris Hemsworth to be Thor again since he's so good at it. I want to hear your thoughts about the future Marvel movies and TV shows. What do you think about Natalie Portman being Thor? Are you excited for the Loki TV series? And the Black Widow movie? (whoop whoop!) Do you want another Avengers movie? Leave a review below or PM me.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Apparently, the unofficially confirmed villains for** _**Thor: Love and Thunder** _**are the same villains that I have for this story. What? I never thought that Amora/Enchantress and Gorr would be in a Marvel movie, but its kind of strange how I have partnered them together in my own story. Strange, but still kind of cool.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Night At The Museum**

The hardest - and least anticipated - part of the mission was fast approaching. They had bought a decent sized map of the earth at the gift shop earlier before heading to eat lunch at a local diner. The food there was actually really great, but Bucky's nerves held his appetite hostage. Forcing down each bite of his otherwise, tasty hamburger - because he needed the energy - only made the situation worse and his nerves increase.

Bucky envied Loki, who was calmly eating his chicken Caesar salad with the mannerism of a hungry prince. Bucky took a sip of his water and leaned in closer across the table.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned about tonight?" Bucky questioned in a hoarse whisper. The diner was packed and the din of people talking and eating made it easier to hold a conversation, but decades of spy and assassin work caused Bucky to hold fast onto his awareness that anyone could be listening.

Loki took a bite of chicken and lettuce before answering. "I don't see why you are so worried. I'm sure you have snuck into many places without getting caught before."

"Yes," Bucky said with an eye roll, "but that's not the point. If we get caught _stealing, _we're both dead meat. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in jail? And not just _jail,_ we're going to be sent the freaking _Raft."_

"Relax," Loki said. "I have everything planned out perfectly. I've thought ahead and know what to expect."

Bucky leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "Of course you have a freaking plan…"

"Yes, 'of course I have a freaking plan,'" Loki repeated with a small hint of a mocking tone in his voice. He spread his arms and leaned back against his chair. "I'm a strategist; it's what I do."

Bucky couldn't think of a snarky reply to that so he went back to picking at his half eaten hamburger. After a minute or so of do that, Bucky looked back up with a sudden realization. "What about the ram's horn? Where are we going to get one of those?"

Loki had an answer ready as if he was anticipating the question. "I found one in a display case at the museum. We can get both in one go."

"A two-for-one deal?" Bucky paused. "Actually three-for-one. We're getting all the items in one place. Doesn't that seem too easy and convenient to you?"

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Breaking into a museum at night and stealing two relics seems _too easy_ for you?"

He had a point.

"Fair enough, but something seems off," Bucky muttered.

"This whole situation of ours seems off," Loki said. "First my family goes missing, Gorr shows up and tries to kill us, we find out that Amora and Gorr are working together to achieve _something_ using the Power Stone, and now we are in Norway plotting to break into a really nice museum to steal two items that we need to perform a tracking spell. If anything 'seems off,' its because those two bastards caused this in the first place. And Norns knows what they are planning to do. They are up to something and I can guarantee that it's dangerous and life-threatening."

Bucky stared down at his plate. It wasn't everyday that he went on a crazy adventure and end up half-way around the world looking for an Asgardian family. His life was truly messed up at this point.

They finished eating - or Loki did while Bucky decided that his stomach couldn't take in any more food - and wandered around the town until the museum was scheduled to close.

In the meantime, Loki received a text from Pietro, saying that they had their items and were heading back to New Asgard. Loki told them that they would meet them there sometime between tonight and tomorrow morning.

The wait was agonizingly long and boring, which did nothing but ramp up Bucky's nerves to the point where he felt like he was going to explode if he didn't get it over with.

Eventually, after visiting the sights and attractions that Oslo offered, the museum finally closed at six o'clock in the evening. They waited for a couple more hours to make sure that everyone was home from work and to have as little amount of people out and about to witness the theft.

The blue sky slowly faded as the sun sank. It wasn't as dark as Loki would have liked, but it would have to do.

Although they had used fake IDs when they rented the car, Bucky parked it several blocks away so that no one could trace their license plate numbers, Loki, who had a scaringly, well thought out plan, led the way towards the museum. Luckily, Loki was already wearing all black with his leather jacket zipped up to cover his shirt and Bucky had mostly dark clothes on, so they blended into the shadows with ease. They put on gloves to cover up their fingerprints and made sure to walk only on pavement so they couldn't be tracked by their footprints. The museum had enough visitors that their scents were also untraceable by police dogs.

They crept around the side of the building, and after disabling the security system by shutting down the power, they slipped inside. There weren't that many cameras inside, but put Bucky's nerves at ease knowing that they wouldn't be spotted.

An old, bored looking security guard patrolled the inside, pacing around the museum at a leisurely walk. Loki's original plan had left the security guard conscious, but since older man was literally walking where they needed to go, Loki switched to Plan B of Part One.

Several long, quiet strides brought Loki right behind the guard. He placed his hand on the top of the guard's head. Green tendrils of magic wrapped around the guard's head, and knocked him unconscious. Loki caught him before he hit the ground and laid him down a nearby bench.

"What did you do?!" Bucky exclaimed in a sharp whisper.

"I merely put him to sleep. He will wake up eventually, having no memory of us or what happened," Loki explained casually, as if it happened all the time. He grabbed the key ring from the guard's belt and headed towards the back of the museum.

Bucky spared the guard with a pitiful glance before following Loki back where they had found the silver coin earlier that morning.

Part Two had officially started.

Loki inserted a key into the display case and twisted. The lock didn't open.

"Wrong key," Loki muttered and tried another one. The third one fit. The lock opened with a small 'click.'

Bucky reached inside the display case and picked up the coin. He removed the title card next to it and the coin to Loki. Loki put it in the chest pocket of his jacket and zipped it close. He locked the case back up and strode towards the next case, his footsteps silent.

They took the ram's horn the same way.

Loki replaced the key ring on the snoozing guard's belt and slipped into a closed office.

"What are you doing?" Bucky asked as Loki sat down on an office chair and typed away at the desktop computer.

"I'm deleting the coin and horn from the files," Loki answered, his eyes never leaving the computer screen.

"Why?"

"So that if someone reports it stolen, they would first look at their files. If its not listed, then there would probably be less suspicions of a robbery."

Smart. Bucky wouldn't have thought about that, especially since his knowledge of modern technology was embarrassingly limited.

After several minutes of a keyboard clacking away, Loki shut the computer off and stood up.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Bucky smiled. He was dying to get out of there. "I have been since we came here."

The two made a quick and stealthy exit. They hopped in the car and took off, putting the museum in their rear view mirror.

Mission complete.

**Sorry that it this chapter is shorter, but more is coming soon! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**New chapter! Yeah! I am also planning on posting another collection of short stories soon as well. If you are interested in cute family adventures featuring the exact same people in this story, then search for "A Thousand Little Things."**

**Chapter Fifteen: It's Magic, You Know**

The sun had risen just above the horizon as Bucky pulled the rented car onto the dirt road that led to New Asgard. Gravel and dust got kicked up by the spinning tires, only settling when Bucky pressed on the brakes in front of the hill that they had camped on earlier. Thor and Pietro were already standing there, waiting patiently for the other two to climb out of the car.

"Got everything alright?" Pietro asked. "You never replied to my texts."

"Sorry," Loki apologized. "We were a little preoccupied with other matters."

Pietro waved it off and dug the quartz out of the bag he was holding. Thor set down the juniper plant and container of sand onto the grass. Bucky unfolded the map and set it down next to the other items. Loki unzipped his jacket pocket and did the same with the horn and silver coin.

"So, we got everything, right?" Bucky asked.

"Yes," Loki said. He handed Bucky a slip of paper. "The spell is on here. All you have to do is read the words out loud. Thor will help with the pronunciations while I'm preparing the spell."

Loki looked expectantly at Thor, who had a brooding expression on his face.

"Thor?" Loki asked. He waved a hand in front of his older brother's face. "Thor!"

Thor blinked, his eyes resting on Loki. "What?"

"Is there something wrong?" Loki asked.

Thor took a deep breath. "You are _not_ going to like this, but we met someone while we were eating lunch yesterday."

Pietro shared a suspenseful look with Thor, both of them looked uncomfortable. Loki watched the exchange with a suspicious expression.

"Who?" Bucky asked for Loki.

Thor took another deep breath before explaining, "Doctor Stephen Strange met us. He said he noticed that someone attacked New Asgard and probably investigated. There was a large spark of energy that he was worried about and wanted to know if we were aware of it."

"DOCTOR STRANGE?!" Loki shouted. Rage flashed in his eyes and green smoke curled from his clenched fingers. "Who in the name of Asgard does he think he is?! Always making matters a lot more complicated than they need to be! That bas-"

Further cursing was cut off as Thor grabbed Loki's wrists and harshly yanked them up in front of their faces. His grip was so tight that Thor's fingers were sure to leave bruises.

"The energy that he discovered was most likely yours! If you keep letting your emotions take over you, then he _will_ find us and send you straight to the Raft!" Thor scolded harshly. "Calm down and try to think before you do anything brash."

It seemed like the world suddenly decided that it was 'opposite day.' Usually Loki scolded Thor for acting before he thought things out, but now it was the other way around.

Loki glared at Thor, his jaw tight and his fists clenched so hard that his nails dug into his palms. Nevertheless, Loki's stubbornness lost against Thor's piercing gaze. The green smoke faded until it disappeared. Loki deflated and hung his head. Thor let go of Loki's wrists and stepped away from him.

"What now?" Loki muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We finish the spell and then continue from there," Thor stated matter-of-factually.

Loki shook his head. "What about Strange? If he's involved-"

"If you keep your magic in check, we'll be fine."

Seconds passed in suspense, leaving Thor wondering if Loki had given up. He knew that Loki hated Doctor Strange with a passion and his involvement made their situation a lot worse and more complicated, but now was not the time to give up - not when they were so close to finding Sigyn and the kids.

"Alright," Loki finally said. "We just need to be more careful."

With that, Loki crouched down and started setting up the spell. Thor took Bucky aside and taught him how to pronounce the foreign words.

Pietro sat down and watched Loki grind the juniper leaves and quartz into a fine powder inside of the horn. He had Pietro gather leaves and sticks to start a small fire to melt down the coin while he mixed the sand into the powder. After the coin melted, Loki stirred it into the mixture and dumped it out onto the map. He spread it out into a thin layer and placed the rune stone that Amora had touched into the center of the map.

Bucky came over and knelt next to Loki.

"Are you ready?" Loki asked.

Bucky looked a little nervous. He motioned towards the piece of paper in his hands. "Just hypothetically, what happens if I mispronounce a word or two?"

"You won't."

That didn't help at all.

"_Hypothetically_, what happens?" Bucky pressed, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"You will be fine. If anything, we will have to redo the spell," Loki answered. He noticed Bucky's shoulders relax. "Were you expecting something worse?"

Bucky shook his head 'no.' He paused before nodding his head 'yes.' "The way you have been talking about spells makes it seem like its really dangerous and that I could die," Bucky said truthfully.

"Magic and spell work _is_ extremely dangerous if you have no experience or innate ability, but smaller spells like this are perfectly safe if the ingredients are prepared properly and you have the correct incantation," Loki explained. "It would be more risky if Pietro did it instead of you."

"Why can't I do it?" Pietro cut in, looking a little offended.

"You're dead," Loki stated.

Pietro frowned. "Thanks for putting it nicely," he said sarcastically.

Loki held up his hands in self defense. "It's true. You may have a soul, but you lack a physical form for magic to flow through."

Magic was too confusing and complicated for anyone other than Loki to understand within the group.

With the small argument over, it was time for Bucky to start the spell.

"Just take your time and relax," Loki said and stood up, leaving Bucky the only on kneeling on the ground. "You are perfectly safe, but anything happens, I'm right here."

Bucky closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Loki directed the other two a few feet away and waited expectantly.

Bucky decided that it would be better to just get it over with and started reading off the paper. Strange words that only Loki and Thor understood filled the still air. The rune in the middle of the map glowed with charcoal gray light. Bucky's eyes were so focused on the paper that he didn't notice the concoction on the map burst into charcoal gray flames. The fire slowly burned away the map, leaving a small piece of the map intact before dying out.

The spell was over. Bucky lowered the paper in his hands and stared at the now burned map., his eyes wide in shock.

"Did _I_ do that?"

"Interesting," Loki said and joined Bucky's side. He picked up the leftover paper and blew off the dust. "Your aura is a gray color."

Bucky gave Loki a confused look. "Is that good?"

Loki shook his head. "Not necessarily. But it's the color of your magic if you had magical abilities. Sometimes aura colors reflect how that person is feeling at the time, but most of the time it reflects their personality and that hardly ever changes," Loki explained.

All this talk of magic was confusing Bucky so he decided to not press Loki any further, just in case the god of mischief went on a full lesson of magic and sorcery.

"What's the map say?" Bucky asked in order to change the subject.

Loki peered at the map. The edges were burnt but the rest of the paper was perfectly intact. A small dot and words were written where Amora was located at the moment.

"It says that it's near Burton Canyon, Colorado," Loki read out loud.

"Where's that at?" Pietro asked.

Loki looked closer at the map. The outline of the bottom part of Colorado was barely visible. "Somewhere in the south east part of Colorado," Loki answered. "It must be a really small town since its not originally shown on the map."

Bucky, who was kneeling eerily still for a minute, suddenly stood up and grabbed the map from Loki's hands. "I know where that is!"

Loki's widened in shock at the sudden movement. "Please, elaborate."

Noticing that all three pairs of eyes were on him, Bucky continued. "It's a Hydra base - Mount Charteris. It was mostly used for experiments on what the scientists that dealt with me called 'mutants.' I thought that the building was shut down after SHIELD found about it a while back, but I guess they found and rebuilt it or something," Bucky explained. "My handlers were not that cautious talking about other Hydra factions around me. I suppose they assumed I would forget everything when I was but back into cryo."

"I thought that you couldn't remember anything," Pietro said, the sentence a cross between a question and a statement.

Bucky nodded. "Yes, but all those memories are coming back slowly after Shuri removed whatever they put in me. It's nice knowing who I was before..._that_ happened, but I also remember…other..._things_."

Thor stepped in order for Bucky to stop thinking about his horrible pat. "I hate to ask, but how are we going to get there?" Thor asked, changing the subject. "We are in Norway right now and Colorado is all the way across the ocean."

It was a larger issue that nobody had a good answer for.

"We could fly there," Pietro suggested. He had his phone out and Google Maps pulled up. "That's the only way unless we take a ship."

"Maybe," Loki said. "How long is the flight?"

Pietro stared at his phone. "I don't know, but its a day's drive from Seattle to Burton Canyon."

"There's no way that we are going to get to Seattle anytime soon," Thor pointed out. He tried not to sound so pessimistic, but the truth hurts sometimes. "If anything, it will probably be awhile before we get to Colorado, let alone Seattle."

"That takes time," Loki said. "Time that we don't have."

The god of mischief hugged himself and stared at the ground, trying hard to keep his emotions in check. They couldn't afford another outburst - not after Doctor Strange appeared - but Loki's worries came rushing back and he really felt like punching something and crying at the same time. Sigyn depended on him and if they were stuck because of a delayed flight or got lost, then he was ultimately letting her down.

Loki looked up at Pietro. "Try to find a place to buy four tickets for the quickest flight to Colorado," Loki ordered and started to walk back to the car to quietly cry without the other three there to witness his breakdown.

He didn't take anymore than a couple steps before orange sparks shot up from the grass in front of him. The sparks startled Loki and he jumped back as the ground opened up in front of him...and started spreading wider.

"Get back!" Loki shouted and back pedaled away from the strange, glowing, orange circle.

The other three tried to run away but the circle only widened faster, making it difficult to find a solid path away. Pietro's foot connected with a large rock and he tripped, falling back on his rear. His attempt to scoot away using his hands and knees sadly failed. The orange circle reached him and Pietro dropped down, disappearing from sight.

"Pietro!" Bucky shouted. Seeing Pietro fall distracted Bucky and he tried to get a glimpse of the younger man, to no avail. By the time Bucky realized his mistake, it was already too late - the ground opened up underneath him and he fell victim to the same fate as Pietro.

Thor, who actually thought for once, hovered above the ground and watched Bucky and Pietro disappear. From above, the center of the circle was blurry, but it looked vaguely like a living room with a couch and several recliners. The sight confused Thor and it took a couple shouts from Loki for him to tear his attention away from the strange occurrence and towards his brother.

Loki was running down the hill, towards the town, the circle moving away from the car and towards him. Thor reached down and grabbed Loki's wrists as the younger of the two jumped. Loki's weight brought Thor down a few inches before he corrected his height and moved up a bit.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked, thinking that they were safe.

Loki cursed in reply. Going against expectations from both brothers, the circle broke even more laws of physics and started moving upwards. The ground where it appeared was perfectly fine, like nothing had ever happened. Thor noticed too what the circle was doing and failed to move away in time.

The circle caught up to the brothers, engulfing them in orange light until they were gone. Only then did the orange light fizzle out and disappear like nothing even happened.

**Mount Charteris is an actual Hydra base in the comics if you want to look that up. I'm loosely basing the story around the comics (even though I haven't read that many comics). Sometimes its hard to have everything so factual and having to fact check myself. Anyways, school is starting in a couple weeks. :( I sure hope that I don't have that much homework that could possibly come with the stupid schedule change. Enjoy the rest of you summer! ****More coming soon! And I promise some action will be coming up. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Loki is going to be in Thor 4! Whoo! :D It's not completely confirmed, but it's pretty close. I got _Grammarly_ for my computer so there should be fewer grammar errors when I edit and proofread. I hope your summer is going well. I have less than a week before school starts, so that's upsetting. :( Enjoy this chapter (and the rest of the summer)!**

**Chapter Sixteen: High Hopes**

The darkness faded as Loki slowly came to and his vision focused on his brother lying face down on the carpet.

Carpet?

Loki sat up quickly and regretted it when a sharp pain pulsed at the front of his head. Holding his forehead in one hand, Loki braced himself on a coffee table and pushed himself up. His surroundings became blurry at the motion so Loki took a deep breath and closed his eyes until he no longer felt dizzy.

A sudden jolt ran down Loki's spine, mainly because his right knee about gave out from under him but also because he realized that he was standing in his living room.

"Impossible," Loki whispered to himself.

A quick sweep around the room showed Bucky, Pietro, and Thor all lying unconscious in the mess of all the cardboard boxes and packaging that they still had yet to unpack. It was unmistakenly his house that he had bought not too long ago. Not too long ago, Sigyn was telling him that she had found a job at a local hospital. Not too long ago, Fenris had dyed Sleipnir's hair pink and they were laughing about Loki's horrible cooking skills. Not too long ago, they were a happy family…

Tears started welling up in Loki's emerald green eyes as he recalled what had been - and what could be if he could find a way to get to Colorado and take down that stupid wench, Amora.

Overcome with emotion, Loki limped over to where Thor was lying and softly kicked him in the side. Thor groaned and rolled over. He opened his eyes and blinked up at Loki.

"Wha-Where are we?" Thor asked and sat up. He groaned again as he suddenly felt light-headed.

"We are back home," Loki said and extended a hand that Thor gladly took.

Finally back on his feet, Thor looked around, his hands on his hips. "How in the Nine Realms-"

"I am not completely sure, but I have a very positive guess that the orange circle was a portal of some kind," Loki interrupted.

Thor gave Loki a look of confusion. "A portal?"

Loki shrugged in reply. "It's not that uncommon these days. Bucky said he was teleported here or came here to Seattle from Romania. And then we were sent back to his apartment and then back here before Sigyn-"

Loki froze and smacked Thor on the shoulder. "Someone or something is either trying to help us or separate me from Sigyn. They could have attacked at any time, but they only did when I was gone."

Thor pursed his lips in thought and frowned. "What about Amora?"

"Neither Amora nor Gorr can open portals, even with the power stone," Loki said. He shook his finger in the air in thought. "There has to be something else - something that I'm missing…"

Further musings were cut off as Bucky groaned and rolled onto his back. Next to him, Pietro did the same, but with more pain in his voice.

"What the hell?" Bucky muttered and covered his head with his hands. He peeked through his fingers and tried to survey the surrounding area the best he could with blurry vision.

"Where-" Pietro began.

"We are in Seattle, back home," Loki answered before Pietro could finish his sentence. Loki helped Bucky to his feet while Thor helped Pietro up. "Get cleaned up and we're heading out here."

"Out of here?" Pietro called up to Loki, who was already climbing the stairs up to his room. "Where are we going?"

Loki stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around. "You said that Colorado is a day's drive from Seattle, so we are going to get the car from the airport and head over there to kick some ass," Loki stated with renewed energy.

"Nice," Pietro said with a small nod of his head. He walked over to his bedroom, which was near the stairs and closed the door. Thor directed Bucky to the bathroom on the same floor before heading upstairs to his room to change and clean up a bit.

Amora and Gorr had better watch out.

/\/\/\/\

In less than half an hour, all four had freshened up, ate, and changed. In the same amount, they were all sitting in the Mustang where they had left it at the Seattle Airport, itching in their seats in anticipation of what was to come.

Bucky was sitting in the driver's seat, his hair combed and the dark circles under his eyes had faded. Loki lent him a red flannel shirt from Thor's drawer, which he wore under his jacket with a borrowed pair of blue jeans. Pietro had changed into another gray hoodie that advertised a _Panic! At the Disco_ concert that he and Hela had gone to a while ago and black sweatpants with his running shoes.

Thor, who was sitting in the passenger seat because he was the tallest, had changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a red hoodie. Loki sat in the back seat with Pietro, his clothes similar as before - a white T-shirt, his favorite black, leather jacket, and black skinny jeans - except they were a cleaner pair and Loki had switched into hiking boots instead of his Air Jordans.

Bucky started the car and peeled out of the airport's parking lot with the tires squealing in protest, leaving behind a small trail of burnt rubber.

The city of Seattle quickly disappeared, turning into small towns and open roads.

The four men's only focus was to get to Colorado as quickly as possible, and they were willing to take down anyone who tried to stop them.

/\/\/\/\

The sun had already set by the time the Mustang drove into the small town of Burton Canyon, Colorado. Bucky had ignored most of the speed limits during the entire drive, cutting the twenty-four-hour drive down by an hour and a half with only two stops to use the bathroom and grab something to eat.

Bucky found a small community park and parked under an old cottonwood tree. Loki was the first one to get out and stretch. Mountains surrounded the small town, enclosing it in a world of its own. The townspeople were asleep since the night had already delved into it's later hours.

"Now what?" Thor asked. He was standing next to his brother but the question had no direct recipient.

Loki turned towards Bucky, looking over the roof of the Mustang. Bucky was resting his forearms and clasped hands on the roof and looked back. Pietro, who was standing next to the soldier, stared up at the mountain that loomed in front of him, right behind the park. Swings squeaked in the gentle breeze, giving the nighttime a feeling of suspension and unease.

"Mount Charteris is hidden from the town's view. We have to hike up the mountain to get there," Bucky replied. "I'm sure that the roads up there are overgrown by now, so I hope all of you have a good pair of shoes or boots on because this might hurt."

Pietro stared down at his running shoes and frowned. "How long is the hike?" he asked, looking at Bucky.

Bucky shrugged. "I don't know since I have never been here before, but the way they described it, it sounds like it's pretty strenuous even for experienced soldiers with years of training. They made it that way so the townspeople won't climb up there and stumble upon their base."

Pietro groaned in complaint. An idea popped into his head - an idea that he would only choose to use unless it was the only way. "What if we fly up there?"

Loki shook his head. "No flying. We need to be stealthy; we have the element of surprise and we need to keep it that way if my plan is going to work."

The other three looked confused and surprised at Loki's response.

"Plan?" Thor asked.

Loki nodded. "I had practically a whole day to come up with it, so it should work."

Loki leaned in closer, making the other three lean closer to hear Loki as he explained his quite elaborate plan to them.

"Damn," Bucky muttered in agreement after Loki finished explaining. "How the hell do you come up with things?"

Loki smirked. "It's not like I've had centuries of practice," Loki stated sarcastically.

Thor let a proud smile spread across his face. "He does have quite the imagination."

Pietro intertwined his fingers and cracked them with a flourish. "Mount Charteris, here we come!"

**Next chapter is coming soon! And I promise that the next one _will_ have action in it. Also, on a side note, if you are interested in cute, brotherly love and family adventures, feel free to check out _A Thousand Little Things_, my new, side story. It has the same characters as this story in it (except Amora, Gorr, and other characters who are not Thor, Loki, Pietro, Bucky, Sigyn, and the four kids). Please leave a review; I would love to hear from you and what you think about this story so far. I feel like I'm dragging it out, but it's hard to get to the main point without all the middle conflicts and struggles. Writing is hard. *sigh* But I do enjoy it. Please review and see you soon!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I am so sorry about the wait! School kind of came up to me and smacked in the face with a huge pile of homework. And I had morning practice and my first cross country meet last Friday. But no more excuses. I finally updated this story and I got to say: my gosh, does Algebra make you want to give up on everything in life, including writing one chapter. So, yeah, Junior year is a struggle (even though I've only been in school for two weeks). :/ Please enjoy this chapter that you have been probably waiting for.**

**Chapter Seventeen: Surprise!**

Despite their best efforts to remain silent, the autumn leaves crunched underneath their feet as the group of four determined men hiked up the mountain. The moon, that streamed down through the branches of the surrounding trees, was their only source of light. Bucky and Loki, who both had the most experience sneaking around at night, led the way up the mountain. Surprisingly, there were not that many guards deployed to hinder their efforts to get to the base as fast as possible.

Eventually, after much hiking and quiet grumbling of complaints from Pietro, the dim lights from Mount Charteris came into view. They crouched behind a large cluster of bushes and underbrush. Mount Charteris was slightly smaller than Loki had imagined, but it was still impressive. The base was built out of concrete. Lines and broken chunks of stone from weathering were covered by vines, making it blend into the mountain forest. The base had been built into the side of the mountain, and the only visible entrance stood only a hundred yards away from them. The building was about fifty feet tall, which didn't include the rest of the base that had to be built underground.

Overall, the base had been designed to look run-down, abandoned, and hidden from overly curious and adventurous hikers.

Taking a deep breath, Loki squinted into the darkness, searching for the quickest path towards the unguarded entrance. There were no guards around, which slightly surprised Bucky. Mount Charteris was an elite Hydra base, surely Amora would think to send out _someone_ to slow or completely stop their attempt to rescue Sigyn and the kids.

As if on cue, the front entrance slid open with a small 'hiss' and two guards armed with high-tech weapons stepped through. The door slid back close with a click and more hissed as the pressurized door sealed shut.

Loki turned towards Bucky, with a grin on his face. He nodded and Bucky nodded back.

It was time for their plan to be set in motion.

/\/\/\/\

The last thing Ryan Clark expected to happen that evening was a sudden attack.

Being part of Hydra, Ryan had been chosen to guard Mount Charteris for the strange, Asgardian lady, Amora. He, of course, had been paid a large sum of money to do so. That was something he couldn't pass up on, not when his drinking problem had left him many debts to pay off.

He and his colleague were on routine patrol when a flash of gold caught his attention.

"Hey." Ryan slapped his partner, whose name he always forgot, and pointed at the surrounding trees. "Did you see that?"

His colleague looked up, a confused look on his face. "See what?"

Another flash of gold and rustling of leaves brought the other two to attention. Ryan brought his gun up to his shoulder and peered through the sight.

"Who's there?" Ryan called. He was technically the leader of the two of them and every other Hydra member in the base, so any orders were his decision. And he didn't want to lose his job by making a simple mistake.

A sudden whistling noise blew right past Ryan's ear. "What the-"

A pained grunted escaped his partner's mouth. He clutched at something protruding from his chest as he fell. On further inspection, Ryan saw that it was a throwing knife with strange engravings carved on the handle. The knife glowed with a faint green light, illuminating the dark splotch of blood seeping from his partner's chest. It was too late to save his partner; the knife had sunk in deep, cutting a large hole in his chest and causing him to bleed out.

Realizing that the clothes he was wearing were not that effective against something as small as a throwing knife, Ryan backed up and reached down for his radio.

"Backup," Ryan ordered in his speaker. "We need backup at the entrance. The suspect is armed and dangerous!"

Static rang out in response as another throwing knife knocked the radio out of his hand.

Although he was a large man with an impressive benching record, Ryan gripped his gun with shaking speakers.

Who in the world would dare to stand up against him with a couple _throwing knives_? They had to either be really stupid or really daring. Ryan settled on the latter, considering that whoever was out there had an amazing aim.

More rustling and another quick flash of gold made the situation even more nerve-wracking for Ryan. What was the person doing? Why weren't they attacking? They clearly could take him out if they wanted to.

When backup of twenty or more Hydra agents arrived, Ryan realized too late that it was a trap.

The reinforcements took position next to Ryan, all with their weapons raised and ready to fire.

"Show yourself!" Ryan ordered.

In response, two more knives sailed through the air and sank into the unhelmeted foreheads of two men within their ranks.

"I said show yourself!" the Ryan repeated. "Or we will open fire!"

Silence.

Not one to risk losing their base to some stupid hiker and one who really didn't care about the lives of said stupid hiker, Ryan raised his hand. "Fire!"

Shots rang out in succession in the direction that the knives were coming from. Most of them hit trees and the surrounding shrubbery.

Part of him believed that maybe he was overreacting and that wasting their ammunition on something as trivial as a possible hiker. Ryan almost called off the attack when a pained shout rang out from the trees on the right side of the firing squad. Ryan raised his arm and stopped the flurry of bullets.

Taking tentative steps towards the noise, Ryan led the other agents over to where the suspect was lying on the ground.

The suspect was lying on his stomach, hiding his face from view, but nothing could hide the fact that the suspect was wearing a golden, horned helmet and Asgardian armour. Right away, Ryan knew that the suspect was Loki.

Knowing that Amora had ordered him and everyone else to tell her if Loki showed up, Ryan borrowed a radio from one of the other men and pressed the button.

"Amora, we identified the suspect," Ryan announced and glanced down at the unmoving god. "Loki is here. I repeat, Loki is here."

The other Hydra agents kept their weapons trained at the unmoving figure. The man had a bullet wound in his right leg, noticeable only from the small hole in the man's left calf. Taking his foot, Ryan rolled the man onto his back.

What stared up at him, shocked him to the core.

"Surprise, bitches!" Bucky Barnes announced with a wide grin on his face. "I'm baaack!"

"What the heck?!" Ryan exclaimed. The Asset, the _Winter Soldier,_ the Hydra escapee, was right here, back on Hydra soil.

Bucky moved to stand up despite all the weapons aimed at him. He was wearing a design of Loki's battle armour that was similar to the one the god of mischief wore back in 2012 except it was newer and sleeker: the horned half-helmet headdress piece, a black leather jacket that reached down to his waist, black pants, gold arm and shoulder guards, black and green shirt that looked both comfortable and protective, and black boots that ended mid-calf.

Bucky raised his hands in surrender. Ryan noticed that the ex-assassin had found a replacement for his old metal arm.

If the Winter Soldier was back, the chances of them getting out alive were starting to look very slim. Nevertheless, they had the numbers and one word that could give them the victory.

Or so he thought.

"Sputnik," Ryan said quickly.

To his credit, Bucky flinched but nothing else happened.

"Sputnik," Ryan repeated, thinking that Bucky didn't hear him the first time.

Again Bucky flinched, but it appeared to be more from fear than anything else.

"It doesn't work anymore," Bucky said smugly. "You have no control over me."

Dammit. The one word that would render the Winter Soldier unconscious and give them the upper hand was out of the question.

Cursing under his breath, Ryan flipped his gun around and smashed Bucky in the head with it, knocking Bucky out.

Ryan ordered two agents to pick up Bucky and drag him inside. He was too busy to notice three figures slip inside the base.

Mentally kicking himself over the mistake, Ryan led the team inside. Amora wasn't going to be too happy when she found out that they had been tricked and Loki actually wasn't there.

"_At least we got the Winter Soldier back," _Ryan thought dismissively as they marched down the hall to tell Amora what happened.

He couldn't be more wrong.

That was one of many mistakes they were going to make that night.

**Cliffhanger! Yeah, I liked Loki's old outfit that he wore in the first Avengers movie. Not saying that the other ones aren't back (he looks good in anything, so...) but I just liked the 2012 one the best. I changed a few things and made the outfit more modern and flexible because, in my mind, Loki is probably flexible and can do backflips and all that jazz. Also, if you didn't know, "Sputnik" is a word that can shut down the Winter Soldier if spoken, so I used that. (But Bucky is all better now, so, yay!)**

**On a more serious note, if you haven't heard about the Sony and Disney deal, you might be living under a rock. I swear, why can't Spidey just have a home and be happy?! I don't know all the details and I'm too scared to look it up just in case Spidey really is leaving the MCU, which will make me even sadder. I hope that Disney and Sony can make a deal, and it has to be a good one that involves Tom Holland playing Spider-Man in the MCU like the Avenger he is.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Whoo boy. Where do I begin? School has been tough for me, especially Algebra 2. There have also been severe thunderstorms in my area (a couple of tornados had even touched down). Because of all the rain we got, there has been flooding. There is only one way out of the town I live in; we're almost completely closed in. I apologize for the wait since I have been distracted with other things, but I finally wrote and posted the next chapter.**

**Chapter Eighteen: It's Tricky**

Nothing seemed to be working, which only made Amora even more upset than she already was.

"What do you mean that Loki isn't here?" Amora shouted at the lead Hydra agent who had told her the news of the Winter Soldier attacking the base. "Your soldier was clearly wearing Loki's armour. Do you really think that they are not working together?"

Ryan shuffled his feet and tried to look Amora in the eyes. He didn't like that she was yelling at him when it wasn't his fault that the Winter Soldier appeared to be more stupid than he thought and attacked the base - alone.

"We didn't see anyone else," Ryan said.

Amora threw her hands up into the air and glowered up at Ryan. Although he was a head taller than she was, the Asgardian woman was terrifying when she was angry.

"Do you really need a lesson on how mischievous Loki can be?" Amora questioned with an angry hiss. "I highly doubt that your '_soldier'_ would be playing dress-up in the forest at night."

Ryan furrowed his eyebrows and tried not to flinch from Amora's tone. "I thought you said that Loki wasn't the type to team up with a mortal?"

Amora placed her hands on her hips and scoffed. "You clearly are missing a brain in that big head of yours. We have Loki's _family. _I've seen the way he looks at that pathetic excuse for a woman; he loves her and they have been together long before they reached their teenage years. Loki will stop at nothing to get her back, and if teaming up with a mortal will help him do that, then he will team up with them."

Ryan paused for a moment. He had to think before speaking because he never knew what Amora would do to him if he said the wrong thing. "So, what do you want me to do to...fix my...mistake?"

Amora's anger lessened but she still glared at him. "Where is your soldier now?"

"He is in the dungeons below. I have several agents guarding him. If he tries anything, we will know in a matter of seconds," Ryan stated and stood up straighter with his shoulders back.

"Good," Amora said. "Keep that the same. Add more patrols around the base. I will tell Gorr of what happened to make sure that our plans are not in danger of failing. If Loki shows up, then everything is ruined."

Amora paused and stared Ryan directly in the eyes. "If our plans are ruined because of your mistakes, I swear I will tear down this base - starting with you."

/\/\/\/\

The darkness of the dungeon made it hard for anyone to figure out where the floor ended and where the wall began without running into the wall, especially for someone who had just been hit hard in the head with the metal end of a gun.

As he slowly came to, Bucky groaned and reached up with his human hand to rub the back of his head where he had been hit. Although he didn't expect to be hit like that, it was better than the alternative that he had anticipated - being shot.

Blinking the fogginess away, Bucky slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and surveyed his surroundings.

The floor felt hard and it would have been cold if Loki's armour that he was wearing wasn't warm.

Judging on his situation, Bucky guessed that their plan had worked. Loki's idea of having Bucky wear his armour and cause a distraction had been the best idea that any of them could come up with. It was his job to get brought into the base after the other three sneaked in during the distraction. Pietro was supposed to come get him soon so that they could move onto phase two.

Which led him to the question: where was the Maximoff kid?

Bucky struggled to stand, using the wall as a support. His eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, but it was still dark except for the pale light streaming through the thick, metal bars that made up the fourth side of the dungeon.

Keeping his hand against the wall because he didn't trust himself to walk without something to lean on, Bucky crept towards the bars and peered out. There were more cells across from him and most likely, even more next to him. His cell was on the far left of the dungeon, right next to the heavy door. Two guards stood on the inside of the door with two more on the outside. The light came from the small, barred window in the door, just barely outlining the figures of the guards.

Bucky sucked in a deep breath. There were no other ways out of there. He didn't feel like taking on four, heavily armoured and specially trained guards when he had the remnants of a small concussion.

"_Dammit, Pietro, where are you?"_ Bucky cursed in his head. He could only hope that the other three had gotten into the base without any troubles.

Suddenly, a pained grunt rang in the still air. Curious, Bucky reached out towards the bars in an attempt to see what happened.

As soon as his fingers grazed the metal bar, powerful jolts of electricity shot up his arm and through his entire system. Although he had an extremely high pain tolerance because of the tortures Hydra put him through, Bucky yelped and fell backward onto his rear.

The electricity was enough to stun him for a couple of minutes. During that time, he didn't notice the four guards falling to the ground after being shot by Pietro.

"You okay?" Pietro asked, his voice sounding distant even though he was standing in front of the cell, not touching the bars.

Bucky blinked and rubbed his eyes to clear away the fuzziness. "I think so"

"Good," Pietro said. He waved an ID underneath a scanner that was attached to the wall, out of view of Bucky. The scanner beeped and a light flashed green.

Before Pietro could grab the bars to pull the cell open, Bucky stopped him by raising a hand. "The bars are electrified."

Pietro pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's off now." Pietro grabbed the bars and heaved the cell open, but not before grinning at Bucky. "It gave you quite the shock, didn't it?"

"Oh, shut up!" Bucky ordered with a glare. He slapped the hand that Pietro extended to help him up away and pushed himself to his feet without assistance.

Suddenly serious, Pietro didn't laugh. Instead, he led the way out of the dungeon block. Bucky stepped over the dead guards, giving them a pitying look.

"You shot them?" Bucky asked.

"Wouldn't be my first time," Pietro replied without looking back. "Hydra messed me up pretty bad."

Bucky tugged a loaded gun from one of the guards' bodies and hurried to catch up with Pietro.

"We all have our issues with Hydra," Bucky said, trying to keep Pietro's mind from remembering his time with Hydra. Steve had told him how the Maximoff twins were taken in by Hydra after the bombings killed their parents and experimented on them. Just thinking about all the horrible things Hydra had done made Bucky's resentment for the villainous organization grow even more.

"I guess so." Pietro stopped at the end of the hallway and peered around the ground. He turned back towards Bucky, his lips pressed into a serious line. "But now it's _our_ turn to mess _them_ up."

**Please review! It would help motivate me to update faster. Also, check out my other story: A Thousand Little Things. It's a bunch of cute, interconnected stories that involve the exact same characters who are in this story. I will try to update as soon as school allows me to. And I promise that more action is coming up soon.**


	19. Chapter 19

**If you've been anticipating action, here it is. It's not the best since I'm really not that good at writing action, but I will try in the next few chapters. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Nineteen: Miss Right**

Amora had finally lost her temper once she heard the news that four guards were attacked and the Winter Soldier had escaped. In a fit of rage, she punched an agent in the face and started throwing the chair to the desk in the office she had claimed. Gorr, who stood patiently by the door, ducked as the office chair sailed right over his head.

"Maybe we should calm down and think about our options," Gorr offered. He didn't flinch when Amora rounded on him, her gray eyes burning with rage.

"Calm down?! Ha! You must be jesting. Everything that I've built here is going to be torn down because of some pathetic _human_. Our master Thanos will not be put on the side because we lost some _Earthen scum,"_ Amora shouted. "We have been working on this for a long time and we are _not_ going to stop now."

Gorr nodded and gripped his ever-present sword tighter. "I understand, but-"

"But what?" Amora interrupted. "The human is not working alone. If Loki is here-"

"I thought you wanted Loki to be here in the first place," Gorr said, cutting her off as his own temper started rising. "We need his magic and seidr to perform the spell to bring Thanos back, so I do not see the concern on why he is here. He is exactly where we want him to be."

Amora paused, her lips pressed into a firm line as she thought. After a moment of silence, she finally let her hands fall to her sides. She straightened up, almost as if she was comparing her status to Gorr's. "Alright, then. But the human agents here will be no match for a sorcerer."

Gorr titled his head up and flashed his sharp teeth. "What are you implying?" he asked.

For the first time that day, Amora smiled. "I want Loki captured - _alive_." She paused again. "I think it's about time we test how advanced human science is compared to Asgardian magic. Let the test subjects go capture him."

Gorr frowned. "All five of them?"

"_All _of them. If anything we have the numbers against him. And I'm not going to lose to that pathetic Frost Giant. He's bound to be heading straight for us unless we have countermeasures. That little snake won't know what hit him."

/\/\/\/\

Her orders were clear: find the Asgardian sorcerer who had infiltrated the base, capture him, and bring him back alive to Amora with no questions asked.

Despite how clear they were, she had a feeling deep inside her that knew what she was doing was wrong.

_Something was wrong._

But it wasn't her place to question orders.

Which how she had ended up in the poorly lit hallways of the base. She had no idea where they were located; all she knew was that it was somewhere remote that Amora had picked out. The kids were also sent out but they had been told to spread out so she had no idea where they were.

Or who they were. They were her teammates - young teammates- right? Her memories said otherwise but she couldn't reach them. Everything she tried to remember where she had seen the four teenagers before, it slipped through her mind before she could grab onto it with a steady hold.

_Something was wrong._

A sudden flash of movement up ahead caught her eye. Gripping her Viking longsword with both hands and holding it steady, she crept towards the movement. Although she was a healer by trade, she had some training in combat. She wasn't a fighter, but she had orders; she couldn't ignore orders.

_Something was wrong._

Before she turned the corner, she listened for any signs of another person. Taking the risk, she whipped around the corner and ran straight into the person she was looking for.

The man was wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans that helped him to blend into the shadows.

She knew him. But from where?

The man's face twisted in confusion before shifting into a surge of excitement.

"Sigyn?" he asked, his voice filled with relief. "What is-"

She raised her sword and swung it at the man. Amora wanted him captured, so she was going to do just that.

"What in the name-" the man exclaimed as he ducked the swing. She stared at him, anticipating a counterattack or resistance of some sort.

None of that came.

The man stared back at her in confusion and shock. "Amora got to you, didn't she?"

When she didn't respond, the man continued, "Oh, that evil bitch did! I swear I will make her pay for ever touching you."

Tired of the talking and strange sentimentality coming from the man, she surged forward and attacked him. The man dodged her every move, never fighting back. Why wasn't he fighting back? Amora said that he was dangerous.

_Something was wrong._

"Please, Sigyn! Try to think!" the man pleaded, his green eyes full of worry.

Those pure green eyes; they were so intense. She knew him, she knew him, she _knew _him.

"This isn't you, Sigyn!" he shouted

"My name's not Sigyn!" she shouted back with a swing of her sword. The man finally realized that he couldn't stay on the defense forever. With a small flick of his wrist, a dagger slid out of his sleeve and into the palm of his hand.

She feigned an attack but the man parried her attack with his dagger. He twisted the dagger up and around, making her wrist hurt as it twisted with her sword. In one swift movement, her sword flew out of her grasp and clattered onto the hard floor. The man kicked it away before she could grab it.

"You know me!" the man pressed. He dropped his own dagger and raised his hands.

What was he doing?

"I don't know you," she replied. _Lies._

She lunged at him. He went on the defense again as she tried to fight him hand-to-hand. They had backed up so that they were closer to where her sword lay. She bent down and picked it up, sweeping it up in a wide arch, aiming straight for his neck. The man just stared back at her, his eyes pleading. He could have easily won against her but she knew some unseen force held him back.

What force? Strategy? Own personal gain? Love?

_Love_.

Something clicked inside her.

At that moment, she remembered as she studied his face: his pale skin, his emerald eyes, his barely visible laugh lines at the corners of his eyes that many would be surprised to find out he had.

His jet black hair that barely reached the base of his neck because he chopped it off during the fight with Thanos curled naturally in a neat mess of curls.

_She knew him._

"Loki?"

Loki sighed in relief. She looked down at the edge of his sword. The sword was mere inches away from his neck, the light glinted off the sharp edge.

Startled, she dropped the sword. It clattered on the ground and she collapsed into Loki's arms, sobbing.

Loki gathered her closer and kissed the top of her forehead. "It's alright, Sigyn. It's alright."

Sigyn stared up at her boyfriend's face. Tears were rolling down his face, so much so that she was sure that she looked the same.

She wrapped her arms around her neck and leaned up. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his head down towards hers. Loki followed with the motion, pulling her closer to him.

The two locked lips and kissed through the tears. Kissed through the relief of seeing each other for the first time in several long, agonizing weeks.

Something _was _wrong, but she had found her right.

The relief, however, was short-lived as a scream pierced the air.

**More coming soon! Please review! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Whew! It's been a while. I feel like I'm repeating myself, but I've been busy. First of all, I've had marching band competitions two days in a row. Cross country meets and practices have been going on as well. Being gone from school for band and cross country made getting homework done difficult. Plus, my Algebra II teacher thinks that it's a good idea to assign homework and start another lesson when we haven't completed the other homework from the previous lesson yet. :( I have yet to fully understand an Algebra II lesson without using examples that come with the homework. I wish I just didn't have to take any math-related classes. I know that I'm not going to go into a career field that involves a lot of math and science, so why do I still have to take them? I think I have enough math credits to graduate next school year, but I will probably end up taking another math class. Hopefully, they aren't as hard as this one. On a happier and less math-related note, I finally updated! Whoo! This chapter is a bit longer than the others and hopefully more suspenseful. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Twenty: Hallway Horrors**

"What was that?" Sigyn exclaimed and pulled away from Loki. He reluctantly let her go, looking like he wanted to grab hold of her and never let go. She couldn't blame him - she wanted to do the same.

"I don't know," Loki replied with an anxious look on his face as he peered down the hallway. He turned back towards Sigyn. "Do you know where the kids are?"

Panic clawed at Sigyn's chest at the mention of the kids. She had no idea where they were. She shook her head. "No, but they should be in the base."

That didn't help at all. The base was huge, considering how it was built into a mountain so most of it was hidden. She didn't have the time or freedom to explore the base, but she guessed that it had several stories in addition to the three that she had been on.

Loki picked up Sigyn's sword and handed it to her. "We best be going if we are to find them before anything else happens," Loki said and flicked his wrist out in the signature move that she knew would mean that a dagger would slide out of his sleeve into his hand in one, quick movement.

Loki led the way down the hall, glancing back every few seconds as if checking to see if Sigyn was still behind him and if everything that just happened not even five minutes ago was real.

Sigyn stayed close behind her boyfriend, only giving him a foot of room for him to make any sudden movements. She really wanted to hold his hand and rest her head on his shoulder as if they were out for an evening stroll, but that would hinder them if they were to be attacked. She couldn't describe how she felt being reunited with him. It was like being able to breathe again after holding it for a couple minutes. The relief was sadly short-lived.

The hallways were a maze; it surprised Sigyn that she had even navigated them without control over her mind. Nobody stopped them; it was eerily quiet considering that Amora had most likely sent out Hydra agents to find Loki. Sigyn hadn't seen Amora since she received her orders to find Loki, but she had a good guess that Amora wouldn't wait for her to finish her job when Amora had other options and resources. Each turn and corner sent a rush of nervousness and adrenaline through them as they anticipated being caught. Nevertheless, they somehow managed to find the source of the scream without any trouble.

Sobs become more and more pronounced as the couple crept silently through the hallways. They decided to take the risk and follow the only noise in the base…

A figure of a man laying on the ground in a pool of blood was blocked by the silhouette of a girl kneeling next to him, crying. The dim light in the hallway also showed Bucky Barnes trying to slow down the bleeding with a soaked towel. He looked up as Sigyn and Loki turned the corner and stopped a few feet away from the trio.

"What happened?!" Lokiexclaimed. He lowered his daggers and stared down at the two. Being closer, they could see that the man laying on the ground was Pietro. Hela had her sword on the ground next to her, blood covering the sharp end.

Nobody replied. Putting the pieces together, Loki concluded that something must have happened between Hela and Pietro.

"Hela, did you hurt Pietro?" Loki asked in a firm but gentle voice.

Hela raised her head. "It was an accident!" she cried. Her black eye shadow had smudged from her tears. Part of it had started to run down her cheeks. "I didn't know it was him, and I couldn't think properly, and-"

Sigyn knelt down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. I felt the same way. It's scary but it's not your fault. It's Amora's fault for even putting us through this in the first place."

Sigyn scooted closer to Pietro and assessed the wound. Pietro's sweatshirt had turned red and sticky from the blood from where he had been stabbed in the stomach. His eyes were closed in pain. The only sign of life was the occasional twitch of his fingers. Bucky had both hands pressed firmly on Pietro's stomach which helped slow the bleeding, but blood continued to flow.

Hela continued to sob and rock bath and forth while hugging her knees. "If he dies here, then he dies for _real_. No Valhalla or-"

"Sweetie, he's going to be fine. I'm a healer, so he _will_ be alright," Sigyn reminded her firmly. "Stop blaming yourself. I understand that it was an accident and that your mind wasn't your own, so stop bringing yourself down for something you had no control over."

Sigyn gently pushed Bucky's hands out of the way and rolled the bottom of Pietro's sweatshirt up to expose the wound. Pietro winced and opened his eyes a bit to watch what Sigyn did.

She laid her opens palms on his stomach, right over the wound, and pushed down. She turned towards Pietro, a sense of concentration and seriousness written on her face.

"This is going to hurt," Sigyn warned. She waited until Pietro nodded before continuing.

After getting the 'go ahead,' Sigyn closed her eyes and put more pressure on Pietro's stomach. Reaching down into the depths of her healing magic, Sigyn let it flow through her veins and into her hands. A purple light started glowing around her hands.

Pietro groaned and dropped his head back onto the floor. Hela moved over to let cradle Pietro's head in her lap. She stroked Pietro's sweat-slicked hair away from his face and tried to suppress her sobs as Sigyn continued to close Pietro's wound with her magic.

Bucky stood up and moved next to Loki, his gun clutched in his hands. Loki stared at his daughter and her boyfriend with open concern.

Pietro started voicing his pain as Sigyn continued. Just as he opened his mouth to let out a pained scream, Sigyn sat back on her heels and removed her hands from his stomach. Pietro clawed at the bottom of his sweatshirt to peer at the wound. His skin had healed completely, with no sign of even a scar.

"I'm so sorry," Sigyn apologized to Pietro. "The people I usually do that on are unconscious. You did well, though."

Pietro brought a shaking hand up to feel his smooth skin. Blood still remained on his stomach, but it was all dried from before.

"Thank...you," Pietro gasped with a weak voice.

Sigyn took his hand and squeezed it gently. "You are welcome." She let go of his hand and pulled his sweatshirt back down. "You might feel light-headed for a while. All that is completely normal. Don't do anything strenuous until you feel better."

She pushed herself up and picked up her abandoned sword before joining Loki and Bucky. Hela moved back to help Pietro sit up against the wall and held his hand with shaking fingers. Pietro gave her a weak smile and clasped her hands tightly in his own.

Letting the young couple get a few minutes alone, the other three moved a bit away. Bucky kept glancing back and forth from Pietro to Sigyn, his mouth slightly agape.

"How did you do that?" Bucky eventually asked.

Sigyn shrugged. "I learned healing magic back in Asgard. Everyone who became a healer had to take specific lessons."

"Of course - magic. The answer to everything that is unexplainable," Bucky muttered.

"I can explain it if you want," Loki offered; however, there was no hint of teasing in his voice. He seemed tired all of a sudden and too serious for someone who liked joking around.

"We don't have time for that right now," Sigyn said. She slid her sword into its sheath and folded her arms over her armoured chest.

Loki nodded. He glanced back over his shoulder to check on Hela and Pietro. "Do you know where the boys are?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Who?" Bucky asked.

"Sleipnir, Jormungandr, and Fenris - my sons," Loki clarified. "They were taken along with Sigyn and Hela. They must be here somewhere."

Sigyn started to shake her head no before stopping in realization. "Oh, Norns! They must be out looking for us. Or Thor. Is Thor here as well?"

"Looking for us? I thought they were captured," Bucky pointed out.

"They were. All of us were. Amora had some Hydra scientist to experiment on us. They used the remnants of an abandoned project and used that on us to make us submit to their will. It was mind control, and I doubt that the boys' have been broken," Sigyn explained.

Bucky's eyes widened. "Do you mean 'The Winter Soldier Program?'" Bucky asked with growing alarm.

Sigyn looked taken aback. "I believe that is what Amora said."

Bucky jerked back, nearly dropping his gun. His breathing started increasing in panic. "No, it can't be. I thought I was the last one…"

"Last what?" Sigyn asked.

"_Winter Soldier_," Bucky answered. "Do you know me?"

"You seem familiar, yes."

"I'm Bucky Barnes, the _Winter Soldier_. The mind control you are talking about is the exact same thing Hydra used on me to force me to carry out orders, many of which were assassinations and caused the death of lots of innocent people. I couldn't remember, think, control my own thoughts and mind; I had no option other to listen to them. If they started the program back up again, and on _Asgardians_, it could cause global devastation!" Bucky's breathing had reached a dangerous level, so much so that Loki took him by the shoulders and gave him a hard slap on the cheek.

"Listen up!" Loki snapped none too gently, catching the attention of Hela and Pietro. "None of that is going to happen, alright? We are going to take down that evil bitch and destroy the program. Hydra cannot win, nor will any poor excuse for an Asgardian sorceress. All we need to do is find Thor and the boys, figure out where Amora is hiding, and destroy the base. Can you do that?"

Bucky's eyes found Loki's, and he nodded slowly. Loki released his hold of Bucky's shoulder and stepped back. "Good. Good."

He turned around and caught Hela's eyes. "Take him back to the car. We parked down near a small park in town. I'm sure you can find it," he ordered, motioning towards Pietro with his head.

To Bucky and Sigyn, he said, "The three of us are going to find Thor and then boys, or whoever we find first; it doesn't matter. Together, Amora will not stand a chance."

Reaching up and cupping Sigyn's chin with his hand, Loki said to her, "Darling, if you have any symptoms or start losing focus, tell me. I don't want you reverting back into the experiment's effects."

Hela helped Pietro to his feet and joined the trio. "What do you want me to do after I drop off Pietro?"

"We might need you here afterward, but I don't want you to leave Pietro on his own. It's up to the both of you to see where you want to go," Loki replied.

Loki gave a quick glance around the group before taking a step down the hallway. Sigyn grabbed him by the arm before he could go any further.

"Loki, wait!" She waited until his focus was entirely on her. "Amora's plan, as much of it as I could understand, was to capture you. If she succeeds in doing that-"

"If it's me she wants, then let her have me. I will not risk your life or anyone else's life because of my own," Loki cut her off with a slight snap. "I cannot bear losing you again, but I would rather be dead and let the world crumble than see you get hurt again."

Sigyn pursed her lips but held her tongue. She knew from a lifetime of experience, that when Loki set his mind to something, it was nearly impossible to change his mind.

"I know that this is a large risk that we are taking, but Amora _needs_ to be stopped," Loki continued. "She has the power stone and an underlying plan that I have yet to figure out. If I am somehow able to stop that, with your help, then it's a risk I'm willing to take, even if it means losing my life."

Sigyn nodded, tears welling up in her violet eyes. There was nothing that she could do to convince him to listen to her. She knew how much Loki hated Amora; if Loki was willing to risk his life to take her down, then the Enchantress had really angered Loki.

"I understand, but-" Sigyn started to say but was cut off by a dismissive wave of Loki's hand. She knew that he hadn't meant to be rude by interrupting her like that - it was his way of saying that he was focused on the task at hand whenever he got quiet and ignored everyone - but it hurt a bit to be ignored when he was most likely going to get himself hurt.

"Good," Loki muttered. He glanced around at the group one last time. "You know you need to do. Do whatever it takes but don't get killed in the process."

Sigyn wanted to argue that he should listen to what he just said and take his own advice, but she had a feeling that she was just going to be ignored again. Most of the time it didn't bother her, but sometimes she wished that Loki would listen to her reasoning and be a bit more open-minded about choosing the best option.

Finally, Loki turned to head down the hallway. Pietro draped an arm across Hela's shoulders and let her help him walk. Bucky and Sigyn followed behind the two to watch their backs just in case they were attacked. The basic training that Sigyn had taken when she was younger had taught her that the ones who were unable to defend themselves were to stay in the middle of the circle or formation during an attack. Asgardians were trained to not only defend themselves but also how to defend others at the same time in the midst of a battle.

They had not gone any more than a hundred feet when a strange voice suddenly rang out in the silent air, bouncing off the walls and echoing in a way that made Sigyn feel as if she were watching a horror film that Jormungandr always liked to watch.

"Where do you think you're going?" the voice questioned.

Startled, all five of them whipped around to find the source of the voice. A figure dressed in a black cloak holding a dangerously sharp-looking sword blocked the hallway from where they had come. He stood with his legs spread in a stance that bordered on being either menacing or calm.

"Gorr," Loki muttered under his breath followed by a slew of curses that were too quiet for Sigyn to distinguish.

Gorr, the 'god-butcher.' Sigyn had heard stories about a creature that went on a rampage after his family had died, blaming their deaths on the gods his people worshipped. The creature standing in from of them had killed more god-like beings than she could remember. All those people, innocent to an extent, were slaughtered because of petty revenge and being blamed for something that had nothing to do with. Several Asgardians had perished by his hand when Sigyn had been a little girl. Luckily, the Einherjar had driven him out of their realm. Gorr being back only meant trouble.

A sudden 'schwing' of a sword being drawn behind the group caught Sigyn's attention. She drew her own sword and whirled around to defend their exposed backs.

Seeing what had caused the noise almost made Sigyn drop her sword.

Standing in front of her were the boys, all dressed in their battle armour with their weapons drawn. Sleipnir had his double Viking long-swords gripped by the hilts and held with his palms toward the ceiling and the tips of the swords facing down in a diagonal slope, dual-wielding style.

Jormungandr had his battle-axe that looked even more frightening being on the wrong end of it. Fenris had no visible weapons, but she knew that he could throw a powerful punch and had icy powers similar to what frost giants could do.

Sigyn saw out of the corner of her eye that Loki had noticed that they were surrounded. Despite them having the numbers, they were at a disadvantage: Pietro was injured, Hela was distracted by his injury, they were surrounded, and the boys were sure to attack without holding back, unlike themselves who didn't want to hurt them.

Gorr smiled wickedly as if he knew that the group of five were going to lose. "Amora said that she wanted you alive, Loki," Gorr taunted. "But I really can't say the same for the rest of you. 'Tis a shame, I really liked having a healer on my side. You, Sigyn dear, would have been helpful when my people were dying. We could have used someone like you."

Sigyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Me? A little girl no older than the age of ten when you came to Asgard and _murdered_ several Asgardians. Yes, I believe I could have helped you when I had no education in the art of healing," Sigyn snapped back, her voice dripping with sarcasm that she didn't know she had. Loki must have been rubbing off on her after all these years together.

Gorr's fingers curled tighter around the hilt of his sword. "You, young lady, should learn to watch your mouth before I cut off your tongue."

Feeling stupidly brave despite having the odds stacked against their favor, Sigyn smirked. "I suppose you would enjoy that since you killed so many innocent people without a second thought. Maybe if you would stop and consider that your people's deaths were no one's fault but their own, then maybe you wouldn't be here, taking orders from a pitiful excuse for a sorceress."

Maybe it was the one thing to do - ticking Gorr off - but Sigyn had had enough of the talking and being told what to do. She wanted out. She wanted to go home and curl up on the bed with Loki, watching a movie that would make more sense if she was human and eating popcorn that she had yet to develop the liking for. She wanted the kids to stop arguing and find a school for them to go to. She wanted to go to her new job that she was sure to be fired from since she hadn't had the chance to even work for _one day_ before she and the kids had been captured. Whatever it was, she was _done_.

But the Norns were not on their side today.

Something visibly snapped inside of Gorr - the anger radiating off the creature almost made Sigyn want to take back her sarcastic and cold-hearted response. In one swift movement, Gorr lifted his sword and lunged at the group. At the same time, the boys raised their own weapons and charged, moving as one, leaving the others no time to react…

**Any type of love that you can give me (review, follow, favorite, etc.) is extremely appreciated and helps give me the motivation to write inside of complaining about all the Algebra homework that I get. I will try to post sometime before the end of October, which is still a long way off but I'm giving myself time to start writing the next chapter. I hope school or work or whatever you do is going well for you. Stay happy and keep on reading! And don't forget to have a happy Halloween!**


	21. Chapter 21

**In case you haven't noticed, I changed the title of this story. It used to be _Snow Bros_, but the title seemed too weird and not that catchy so I changed it to _Lost and Found_. Hopefully, it catches a little more attention since I thought this story would get more reviews and whatnot. Don't get me wrong, I love every little review, follow, and fav, but I guess I had high hopes for this story. Maybe it's me and writing skills and slow updates. But I realized that I'm not that popular. In my everyday life, I'm an introvert and rather shy so I don't like it when I get a lot of attention. The internet seems to give people (including me) a bit of a confidence boost. On the other and completely unrelated note, Halloween is in ten days! Whoo! I'm too old to go trick or treating but I still like the vibes that Halloween gives off. I hope you have a spooky (and safe) Halloween! :)**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Trapped**

The sudden onslaught caught everyone off guard. Sigyn just barely avoided losing an arm from a powerful swing from one of Sleipnir's swords. She backed away quickly and almost tripped over Loki's feet. Loki caught her before she could fall down and held tight until she got her balance back.

Jormungandr raised his battle-axe above his head and swung down at Bucky's head. Bucky raised his vibranium arm in defense, deflecting the blow but the force behind it propelled him backward and he crashed into Pietro and Hela, knocking both of them over.

Hela scrambled to help Pietro to his feet as Gorr lunged at them. She raised her hand and caught the edge of the sword before it could hit Pietro. The sharp edge cut into her hand making blood flow down her arm and drip onto the floor. Ignoring the pain, Hela slowly rose to her feet, pushing Gorr away with the sword. Gorr struggled and gripped his sword with both his hands to counteract the force of Hela's pushing, but it was futile.

Fueled by the rage of being used against her will and a sudden rush of adrenaline, Hela's hands burst into black flames of magic. The energy snaked up the sword and around Gorr's wrists.

Gorr grunted in pain as Hela's magic latched onto him.

"What sorcery is this?" Gorr questioned and tried to free himself.

"Dark magic, something I was born with," Hela stated with an angry hiss. "Maybe it's not a good idea to upset the goddess of _death_."

Hela gave the sword a hard shove, forcing Gorr to his knees. "How do you release their minds?" Hela questioned, motioning towards her brothers who were viciously attacking her father, Sigyn, and Bucky. It was three against three, but Loki and the others were clearly holding back, not wanting to injure the boys.

Gorr smirked even though Hela had him pinned on his knees. "The science and technology of this planet have improved greatly since the last time I came here. Amora made sure that nobody could break the control."

Hela titled her head, keeping all of her attention on Gorr. "Sigyn and I were able to break it, so I highly doubt that it's as 'perfect' as you claim it to be," Hela pointed out snarkily.

Gorr smirked, which both surprised and annoyed Hela. "Do you really think that we didn't think about that?" When Hela didn't answer, Gorr continued, "Their minds are not as advanced as yours. You only broke it because your genetics are stronger than theirs, thus giving you powerful abilities. The stronger you are, the harder you are to control. Sigyn only broke her control because of her natural healing ability. Your brothers do not possess the same type of magic like you, so they are under _our_ control."

The subtle insult at her brothers' strength caused Hela to grow furious. She let her sedir flow through her veins and completely wrap Gorr in a cacoon of black ropes of magic. Only his glaring eyes were visible, staring up at her in anger and hatred.

"Maybe next time you would think twice before you insult my family," Hela growled. The tendrils curled around Gorr's body and enveloped his head, covering his eyes. His scream was cut off by the dark magic covering his mouth. Light glowed between the thin gaps in the ropes, making it hard to look at. The boys stopped their attacked on Sigyn, Loki, and Bucky in order to watch.

The light slowly faded after a quick minute. Hela dropped her hand, letting the magic fade. The ropes dissolved in sputtering sparks, revealing a pile of ash in Gorr's place. His sword lay on the ground next to the pile, untouched except for a few wisps of smoke curled off it.

Unfazed and suddenly full of energy, Hela turned away and helped Pietro to his feet. She caught her brothers staring at her and frowned. "Don't even think about trying anything," Hela snapped. She held her head up high as she and Pietro walked confidently past them. They subconsciously parted, letting them through.

She had barely reached the end of the hallway when the sound of clapping filled the air. She turned around to see Amora standing near the group with a smirk on her face as she clapped slowly. The boys stood at attention next to her, their hands on their lowered weapons but still ready to move at a moment's notice. Sigyn, Loki, and Bucky stood frozen in shock. Hela wondered why they weren't moving before she squinted and saw that their muscles were tense as they strained against the invisible hold Amora had on them. The necklace Amora had around her neck glowed purple, which must have been the source of her power.

"Congratulations, my dear, you succeeded in angering me even more," amora said. She glanced down at the pile of ash that used to be Gorr. "'Tis a shame, he was quite a powerful ally. You, little girl, are stronger than I expected."

Hela took a step forward. "'Little girl?'" Hela quoted with obvious anger. "In case you didn't know, I am a _queen. _That is a lot more than you could _ever_ accomplish."

Amora's smirk faded and dropped her hands down next to her hips. "You are meddling in things that you are too young to understand. I suggest you leave before you end up angering me even more," Amora warned.

Hela scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You don't scare me." She spread her arms open wide and gestured towards herself. "Do your worse."

Amora looked like she wanted to follow Hela's taunting but after a minute of considering, the Enchantress turned her focus towards the three she had trapped. "The only one I need is Loki; the rest of you are expendable."

Raising her hand, Amora sent out a burst of energy. Hela opened her mouth to shout at her but the energy washed over her in a wave of pure power, knocking her and everyone else unconscious...

When she woke up from her dash and got a bearing on her surroundings, Loki, Amora, and the boys were gone.

**Side note, I made a website! Why? Because I was bored and just felt like it. I put all my story descriptions on there. I am also going to add a character page for the OCs I created to give a more detailed description of them. If you want to check it out, the link is ****on my profile page. The next chapter is coming soon in hopefully 2 weeks or less.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Happy Halloween! :D**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: No More Dream**

The hallway lights barely lit up the ugly gray floor as Thor sneaked through the base, or what passed as sneaking for him. The god of thunder never really got the hang of it, unlike his younger brother who could practically disappear in plain sight if he wanted to.

Thinking of his brother, Thor realized that he hadn't seen him in a while. In fact, he hadn't seen _anyone_, Hydra agents included. Fearing the worse, Thor picked up his pace in order to find his brother.

His job in the plan Loki came up with required him to find Hydra agents and make sure that they didn't get involved. He thought that he got the easier part but it proved to be hard to fight something that wasn't there.

His footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. He had stopped caring whether or not he was quiet. If anyone heard him, they didn't do anything. Why did _he_ get the easy part?

Thor suddenly stopped in his path as realization dawned on him. Loki probably assigned him this part to keep him away from the fight. Loki knew that fighting Gorr and Amora was a dangerous risk so he most likely tried to keep Thor away from it. It made sense now: Pietro and Loki were not that close as Thor and Loki. The brothers' relationship grew stronger and closer after the Snap but Loki never really tried to get to know his daughter's boyfriend all that much. Sure he liked him but not in the same way Loki loved his older brother. And Bucky… Even though Loki told Thor that he felt a connection with Bucky, those two had just met and were still in the first stages of developing a friendship.

With a jolt, Thor realized that Bucky and Pietro were more expendable than him. But he still wouldn't want to risk their lives, right? Loki could be predictable at times, so much so that even Thor could understand Loki's thought process, but the younger prince remained a mystery. Loki hardly ever talked about his emotions and opinions but Thor knew that Loki wouldn't want risk the others' lives as well. Bucky and Pietro were sent off on a different section of the base for a reason.

"Dammit," Thor cursed rather loudly, his pace picking up as he slowly recognized Loki's plan...

Loki was going to sacrifice himself to save the others.

/\/\/\/\

A bright light shone white-hot above him, the sensation odd and yet so familiar. Somehow he instinctively knew that someone had laid his body down on an odd type of bed. There had to be other people in the room, considering the quiet shuffling he could hear even though his mind couldn't process much through his foggy daze of unconsciousness. A small twitch of his wrist confirmed his suspicions that someone had taken the precautions of restraining him, the thick band of metal cool against his sweaty skin.

He felt exhausted, too exhausted. He felt drained and empty as if someone pulled an invisible plug - it almost hurt.

He laid there for a while, contemplating if he should open his eyes or stay like this and keep up his facade of being 'out of it.' Unfortunately, fate decided for him.

"I know you are awake," a voice that could only belong to the woman he absolutely hated, said.

Taking a few more seconds to relish in the precious moments before he had to look at her stupid, pinched face that she always plastered with an overwhelming amount of makeup.

Finally giving up, Loki opened his eyes and saw Amora standing over him with a smug look on her face.

"For a while there, I thought you would never wake up. Though, I suppose there wouldn't be much loss in that," Amora jeered.

Loki's mind - for some reason - couldn't think fast enough for a retort or an insult so he laid there glaring at Amora. Oh, how he hated her. He longed to plunge a dagger into her chest and end all the suffered she had caused but his restations prevented him from doing so.

Maybe he could choke her to death with his magic. The thought of it made his fingers twitch in anticipation and he called forth his magic with a mere thought.

Nothing happened. Amora looked like she knew what Loki tried to do.

"Having trouble, my prince?" Amora questioned innocently as her head tilted to the side.

This time, Loki delved deeper into his internal store of sedir and tried to concentrate. A few wisps of green smoke curled around his fingers before snuffing out.

"What the-" Loki exclaimed as he stared at his hand in shock. A splitting headache forced him to lay his head back down on the surprisingly soft pillow. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to quell the headache.

"Feeling alright?" Amora asked although her voice lacked concern.

Loki peered up at her.

"Like you would care," he spat back despite the pounding in his head. He had never felt this empty before. It felt like his magic had been drained from him.

Amora's face disappeared from his field of vision as she stood straight up. Loki tried to follow her the best he could without straining his neck.

Amora stopped next to a Hydra scientist - or what Loki thought passed for a scientist since the man wore a stereotypical white lab coat - and exchanged a few words with him. The man nodded and pushed a button on a large dashboard of intricate levers and buttons.

A sudden jolt startled Loki as his bed titling up, giving him a better view of the room. The room's walls were covered dials and levers. Long bars of bright lights hung up high, leaving no space to shadow. More people in lab coats were spread out at desks or computers, monitoring something. In the center of the room, right in front of him, stood a large glass tank that had glittering green energy swirling inside of it. The tubes that fed the green light into it snaked across the room and up to…

Loki gasped rather loudly once he saw what the tubes were attached to.

"What are you doing to me?" Loki questioned in shock. The tubes ended - or rather, started - at the crook in both his elbows where a needle disappeared into his skin. How he didn't notice that before, he had no idea but he _hated_ it.

"Oh, so now the _sorcerer_ realizes!" Amora laughed mockingly.

"Y-You-"

Amora placed a finger to her lips. "Shush now. We don't want you're heart stopping sooner than it has to."

"What are you-"

"Oh, you want to know my plan, don't you?" Amora interrupted. She spread her arms wide and gestured at the room. "Everyone gets to hear the villain monologue about their 'evil' plan, but the hero never gets their chance."

"Hero?" Loki scoffed. "Do you really-"

"I'm _saving _the universe!" Amora snapped. "The population rates are supposed to grow but what about the food supply. Thanos had the right idea when he had the Infinity Gauntlet. And it worked out just fine until the Avengers came by and ruined everything. It's always the same with the supposed '_heroes.'_ They claim they are saving lives but they are only delaying the inevitable. Why let people suffer and starve to death when we can give them a chance to thrive!"

_Thanos._ _Amora_… Suddenly, it clicked.

"You worked for..._him?!_" Loki exclaimed.

Amora rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Of course. He gave me a chance to help save the world. Maybe then I would have finally impressed Thor enough that he would pay attention to me."

Loki rolled his eyes this time. It always came down to Thor. Amora always had a huge, obvious crush on his older brother, and she had many unsuccessful attempts at winning his favor. Thor had no interest in her, especially since she had almost poisoned Loki when they were younger.

"I heard about your time with him. You were quite the, ahem..._entertainment_," Amora continued. "You should know by now what Thanos wanted. You were a fool for not helping."

"_I'm_ the fool?! Have you realized what your plan means? You are going to kill thousands of people! And for what? Thor's love?"

"I'm not doing anything like that," Amora hissed. "That is what Thanos is for."

"He's _dead_," Loki retorted.

"He won't be for much longer."

That single sentence felt like a blow to the stomach. '_Not much longer,' _what did that mean? What did all of this mean?

"You can't bring him back from the dead," Loki remarked, his voice wavering from fear and uncertainty. Memories of his time in the void started trickling back into his brain, forcing him to focus on that instead of what Amora intended to.

She couldn't be serious about bringing _him_ back, could she? Does she realize what _he _could do? The Avengers wouldn't know what hit them - the _universe_ wouldn't know what hit them. Nobody would be ready.

Panic clawed its way up Loki's chest, blocking off his airway. He tried to calm down but terror had taken root and refused to let go.

"I can't do that by myself, but that is why I have you," Amora said.

_No!_

"I knew you wouldn't agree to help me so I begrudgingly teamed up with these people here. Humans may be weak but they do have their uses."

Fired up from the anticipation, Amora started pacing the room. Loki knew she had a habit of sharing her ideas whether anyone paid any attention to them or not.

"I came up with a machine that separates and removes sedir from the body and collects it into this tank." Amora tapped the glass for emphasis. Loki also noted that the amount of green light - sedir, Loki dimly corrected himself - had increased since he first noticed it.

"Although I hate to admit it, your sedir is quite powerful. With the help of the power stone and your magic, it's almost a guarantee that I will be able to bring Thanos back."

_No, no, NO! _The dangers and risks of doing something that drastic were too high that even someone insane wouldn't attempt it.

"You're going to kill yourself!" Loki blurted out. Sedir only worked safely with whoever was born with it. Sharing magic meant certain doom even for experienced sorcerers.

"I doubt that, although you would like it if I died," Amora teased, giving Loki a wink.

To no one in particular, Amora said, "It might take a couple of hours for that tank to be full, but we don't have that much time. We have to take into account that your brother and your _precious girlfriend_ might find you during that time. And I need all the sedir I can get."

Amora turned away from Loki and stared at the tank, her hands clasped behind her back as she thought.

"He's going to kill everyone you know," Loki called, trying to force reason into her. "You don't-"

"Thanos did it before, who's to say he won't do it again?" Amora said, her back still facing Loki. "He will thank me for helping save the universe. And it will be glorious!"

Turning around, Amora's gleeful expression locked eyes with Loki. "Too bad you will be too dead to see it."

She nodded at the first scientist, who stood waiting as if he knew what Amora wanted with his hand on a lever. At her nod, he pulled the lever down.

It took a second for the effects to reach him. When it did, every nerve lit up in a blaze, burning through his entire body.

Loki couldn't stop his scream from escaping as his sedir ripped out of him.

**Next chapter coming as soon as possible! :) Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Here I am, sitting in the middle of the floor in my bedroom updating my fanfiction story, as one does. But I'm updating; that's all that matters. It snowed where I live. Most of it is melted already but I'm still not ready for winter. School is going okay. Algebra 2 is still a pain but I'm dealing with it. Stay in school, kids!**

**Fair warning, there is a tiny bit of suggestive themes towards the end of the chapter, so be warned! It's kind of subtle and really short, but if you don't like kissing, then don't read the second half of this chapter. It's really not a big deal but I'm just being careful so someone doesn't leave me an anger review or message or whatever. But we're all mature here, right? ;)**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Danger**

"No!" Sigyn cried once she woke up from the energy blast. Right when she reunited with Loki, he had been taken from her again. Her heart pounded in rhythm with the dull pulsing in her head. The headache made it hard to stand so Sigyn leaned heavily against the wall and tried not to throw up or burst into tears. She needed to be strong for the others but it drained the remainder of her energy doing so.

A hand rested gently on her shoulder, startling her. She looked up into Bucky's face. For an ex-assassin, he seemed rather nice - caring, almost.

"Loki will be fine," Bucky said in an attempt to either calm her down or himself, Sigyn didn't know, but Bucky didn't try to hide his worry. Loki didn't make friends that easily, so the concern on the human's face threw Sigyn a bit off. What had they been through when she and the kids were locked up and experimented here? His metal fingers kept tapping against his thigh in a nervous tick.

"Amora couldn't have gone far," Bucky continued.

"How do you know? This base is larger than it looks." Sigyn couldn't keep the snark out of her voice. She had a reputation of being soft-spoken and one who never cursed or got upset, but she just wanted to go home as a whole family in peace.

However, Bucky didn't react to her sharp tone. "I have been here before. It's a bit foggy but I should be able to navigate us through the base better than what our enemies think."

"What about Pietro?" Hela's voice added. She still held Pietro up but the exhaustion was clear on her face. Her eyeliner streaked down her cheeks, making her appearance eerie like she had signed up to work at a haunted house.

Sigyn met Bucky's eye. Loki wanted Pietro to go wait in the car since he could barely stand on his own because of how much blood he lost.

"The best option is..." Sigyn's voice trailed off. She had no idea what to do next. Have Hela drop Pietro off and risk having them attacked? Look for Thor all together but have two liabilities who wouldn't be able to fight? Try to find Loki and possibly lead all of them to their deaths? She didn't know for sure what Amora wanted with Loki but she had a dark feeling that they didn't have much time to find him.

They were limited in options, and none of them were good.

Bucky gave her a pitying look. She must have been a mess. Strands of hair strayed from her braid, her armour had been scratched and torn in several places, and she didn't even need to look in a mirror to know that her face and eyes were sweaty, red, and bruised. She hurt all over but most of the pain settled in her heart, where it longed to curl up into Loki's gentle arms and sleep for a week.

"At least we don't have to worry about Gorr," Bucky offered, trying to be the light in the pitch-black night.

Yay.

One less thing to worry about in their giant jumble of a trainwreck.

The joy of Gorr being gone lifted some weight off her chest but she still felt like she was being crushed by a bilgesnipe.

The group's morale just barely hung on by a thread. If one more wrong thing happened, it would snap. They needed a plan - a good plan that would involve as little casualties on their side as possible.

"_Think, Sigyn, think,"_ Sigyn thought in an effort to force an idea into her head.

Her motherly instincts kept replaying scenarios in her head, making it hard to focus on reality instead of the 'what if's.'

Legal or not, biological or not, they were her family and it was her job to take care of them.

Taking a deep breath, Sigyn stood up straighter and tried to focus. "Alright, Bucky you are going to lead us to the entrance so Hela can drop off Pietro. Then we are going to find Thor and take the fight to Amora."

Everyone didn't look too happy but they were all too tired to object.

Sigyn drew her sword and held it in front of her. "Keep an eye out for any sign of Loki, Thor, or Amora. Or the boys. We don't want to be caught off guard."

Bucky took the lead, navigating them through the maze. Sigyn tried to ignore the feeling of déjá vu as they moved rather slowly - too slowly. Ironically, Pietro couldn't move that fast. He leaned heavily against Hela, who, luckily, had enough energy and strength left to hold him up as well as herself.

During the slow process through the empty base, Sigyn's worry and panic built up. She _needed_ to find Loki but she couldn't leave the others. Luckily, for some odd reason, nobody challenged them. They never even ran into anyone. It had to be a trap. There was no other explanation.

Or maybe Thor took care of the Hydra agents. Bucky told her that Loki gave him that specific job.

Minutes passed. Still, they didn't see anyone. The halls were not lit very well but Bucky knew where to go. They passed closed doors and what looked to be the breakroom. Still, they didn't see anyone.

"We're almost to the entrance," Bucky whispered. He peered around the corner, his gun grasped in his hands, ready to shoot if need be. He reeled back suddenly, startling the others in the group.

"What is it?" Sigyn whispered.

"Footsteps," Bucky explained quietly. "Someone's coming this way."

"What do we do?" Hela asked.

Sigyn looked back at the girl. Pietro had his eyes closed while he leaned against his girlfriend. They were in no condition to fight back right now. But they did have the element of surprise. The only way to go was either outside or around the corner.

"We jump them if they turn the corner," Sigyn replied. "If not, we wait until they pass."

Hela nodded. Bucky widened his stance, prepared pounce at a moment's notice.

The heavy footsteps grew louder. Whoever it was, they were in a rush and did not care whether or not they were heard.

Bucky raised his left hand, counting down the seconds until the person would turn the corner.

Three... Two... One!

The person turned the corner and in a split was pinned against the wall by Bucky and Sigyn. Sigyn had her sword pressed against the person's throat while Bucky held their arms above their head.

"Woah!" Thor exclaimed. "It's me, Thor!"

Realizing their mistake, Sigyn and Bucky released their hold on Thor and took a few steps back to give him space.

"Sorry about that," Bucky apologized. Sigyn hummed her agreement and lowered her sword. Thor nodded and rubbed his neck where Sigyn had cut him a little on accident.

"It's alright. I probably should have expected that," Thor replied.

"You weren't exactly subtle," Hela pointed out. Thor noticed the couple for the first time and his eyes widened in concern.

"What happened?" Thor asked, motioning towards Pietro with a nod of his head. He took a quick headcount and found one less person than he expected.

Hela avoided eye contact and stared at the floor. Sigyn pursed her lips and looked away. Bucky busied himself with checking to see if his gun had ammo.

"Where's Loki?" Thor questioned.

"Yeah, about that…" Bucky said.

"_Where. Is. Loki?"_ Thor repeated with a harsher tone.

Nobody answered.

"Where is my brother?" Thor's voice bordered on anger and concern. The smell of ozone filled the room and static electricity crackled.

"Amora has him," Bucky finally answered.

"WHAT?!" Thor shouted. Sigyn quickly tried to shush him and plead with him to keep his voice down, but Thor had lost it. "We went through all this hard work and we lost _Loki?!_"

"We really didn't have a choice," Sigyn said. "He made up his mind and we couldn't chance it. You know how he is…"

"The last time he tried to do something heroic, he _died_!" Thor's voice cracked and he turned and punched the wall, leaving an indent in the concrete. Thor didn't flinch from the punch, instead, he dropped his hand down to his side and tried to control his rage.

"I know you are concerned, we all are, but we need to remain calm and think this through," Sigyn assured. She reached out to touch his shoulder but she received a little jolt of electricity so she pulled her hand back. "Right now, Hela and Pietro are going to the car since Pietro cannot defend himself in his condition. Without them, we are down two members, so we need all the help we can get. You need to stay focused if we are to get Loki back."

Thor took several deep breaths and clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before the electricity in the air fizzled away.

"Alright, what do you need me to do-"

A sudden blast shook the whole building, cutting off Thor's question and filling the hallway with the smell of mint.

"What the hell?!" Bucky exclaimed and pressed a hand against the wall for balance.

"_Amora_," Thor growled through gritted teeth. "If she lays a hand on my brother, I will tear her apart herself."

"Save a piece of her for me," Sigyn muttered in agreement.

Another blast rang out. Bits of dust floated down from the ceiling. Bucky lost his footing and fell hard against the wall. Sigyn tripped and tumbled into Thor who caught her.

"_Mom_?" Hela's tiny voice could hardly be heard above the calamity but the evident concern made it stick out. Sigyn pushed herself off Thor's chest and looked around until she found Hela. Hela's green-gray eyes were wide with fear. Pietro's eyes were open now, too, but they were unfocused and glazed over.

"Hela, you and Pietro get to the car right now," Sigyn ordered.

"What about-"

"Go!"

Sigyn's sharp tone shook Hela from her fear and she helped Pietro to the front entrance of the base. Sigyn waited until the door closed behind them before turning to the others.

"I don't think Loki had much time left," Bucky said, which seemed rather obvious.

Sigyn cursed for the first time in her life. If her parents found out what she just said, she was in for one heck of a lecture. But her parents weren't here and Loki needed her help.

"We need to find the source of that blast," Sigyn said.

"You want us to go _toward_ it?" Bucky asked. "If it's strong down here, there's no telling what it's like at the _source_."

"Loki could be over there!" Sigyn snapped. "And if he gets killed because we retreated, I will never forgive myself for it."

Bucky wisely kept his mouth shut after that. If looks could kill, Bucky would have already been dead.

But Bucky wasn't the enemy. Amora was, and Sigyn would be damned if that wench made it out alive after all this.

/\/\/\/\

Hela and Pietro tore down the mountain as quickly as the could, which meant they were going too slow for Hela's liking. The irony of how slow they were going compared to how fast Pietro could run would have made Hela laugh if Amora didn't have her family stuck inside the base waiting for an opportune moment to slaughter all of them.

A few lights twinkled in the small town at the base of the mountain, oblivious to the horrors that were happening just up the mountain. Who knows what would happen if the townspeople knew that an active Hydra base sat not too far from their homes. Surprisingly, the sun hadn't risen yet but there couldn't be more than a few hours left before sunrise. The trees blocked out most of the moonlight so Hela had an even tougher time navigating through the underbrush that she already had with an injured boyfriend depending on her support and a distracted mind.

However, they finally made it to where Pietro had parked the car several hours ago. Funny how time flew but Hela didn't feel like laughing.

The Mustang never looked more welcoming than that moment. Pietro, bless his heart, still had the car keys in his pocket. He fished it out and clicked the unlock button. Hela yanked the driver's door open and helped Pietro to sit down.

"How are you feeling?" Hela asked and knelt down beside him.

"Worse than I probably look," Pietro replied. His messy blonde hair was knotted and plastered to his forehead from his sweat. Although the night was relatively cool for the fall season, both of them were dripping with sweat from beelining it down the mountain as fast as possible.

"You ruined the sweatshirt I gave you," Hela muttered and patted Pietro's chest. She avoided touching him was she accidentally stabbed him, although the skin didn't even have a scar left from when Sigyn healed him. The guilt of almost killing her boyfriend clawed at Hela's heart and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"What about you?" Pietro asked quietly.

"What?" Hela said, surprised by the question.

"How are you feeling? You must be exhausted from me using you as a leaning post," Pietro added.

Hela looked down at the ground. Her boots were covered in mud and bits of leaves from their trek. If those looked bad, she could only imagine that the rest of her looked worse.

"I'm scared," Hela finally admitted. "I almost killed you and my dad is probably dying. And my mom and brothers are probably _going_ to die. And I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to be a leader, I'm a queen after all but I always make these stupid mistakes and-"

A hand softly cupped her face and tilted her chin up. Hela hiccuped and stared up into Pietro's eyes. Damn, did he had handsome blue eyes, even though they were dull from exhaustion.

"Everybody makes mistakes, Hela," Pietro said gently. "I'm sure everyone in Valhalla will understand."

"I almost _killed_ you!" Hela exclaimed. "And if you did out here, there's no going back. You cease to exist. I should have made you stay in Valhalla…"

"And I wouldn't have let you do that," Pietro replied. "I would have followed you anyways."

"You've gotten pretty bold ever since you became prince of Valhalla," Hela stated

"Maybe I have."

Hela broke her eye contact with Pietro and looked away up the mountain.

"They probably need my help," Hela thought out loud.

"Then go. I'll be fine," Pietro assured. Hela looked back at him and frowned.

"You can't defend yourself."

Pietro gave a pained laugh but Hela didn't look amused. "You have so much belief in me, babe."

"I mean it, Pietro. You can hardly stand up by yourself, let alone fight. What if-"

Pietro motioned towards the steering wheel of the Mustang. "I can drive away if anything happens. Besides, I highly doubt they would travel all the way down here to kill poor little me when there's a whole lot of witnesses living in town. It would draw too much attention and then the Avengers might take notice."

Hela sighed. He did have a point but she still didn't like leaving him alone.

Pietro brushed a stray lock of hair behind Hela's ear and clasped her hands in his. "I promise you, Hela. I will be okay. I can always call you if anything happens, which nothing will."

Tears welled up in Hela's eyes. She tried to keep eye contact but looking up into Pietro's face hurt her heart too much.

"Hela?" Pietro asked quietly. "I will be okay."

"The last time you said that you died," Hela muttered while staring at the ground. She forced herself to look at Pietro. He frowned at first but then gave a little smile.

"Well, if that didn't happen, then I wouldn't have met you," Pietro said.

That simple sentence stirred something in Hela's heart. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Pietro's neck. Pietro grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer. Their lips locked and they both leaned into the kiss.

If Loki saw her like this, he would have thrown a fit but Hela didn't care. All she noticed was the surprisingly attractive smell of sweat and Pietro's cologne mixed together. She soaked in Pietro's warmth and tangled her fingers in his hair, trying to work out the knots while kissing him. Pietro's hand trailed down to her hip and would have gone down further if Hela didn't break away.

The kiss was one step away from crossing the line that the young couple had set, and one that Loki would hate to find out if they went any further.

"_Dad wouldn't like this,"_ Hela thought. That single thought was the only reason Hela pulled away. The sudden remembrance of her dad brought Hela crashing back into reality.

Pietro reluctantly let go and watched Hela stand up. She took in a shaky breath and tried to fix her messy armour.

"Be careful," Pietro said.

"Right back at you," Hela replied.

Hela took a few steps back and blew a kiss towards her boyfriend. Pietro caught it and held it against her heart. When Pietro looked back at the spot where Hela stood, she had already disappeared in a burst of black smoke.

Pietro collapsed against the car seat and sighed. Hela had the right idea, pulling away when she did. Otherwise, Pietro didn't know if he would have been able to stop himself from crossing the line. And crossing the line wasn't a good idea for two reasons; his body was still healing and Loki would be furious if he found out.

And _nobody_ wants to piss off the god of mischief.

**Next update coming soon! Also, check out my website. I finally got around to creating the character page. The link is on my profile page if you are interested. Please review! :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello! I'm back with another chapter! I really don't have much to say other than enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Doom**

Shimmering green magic swirled around the room in a storm of energy. The first time the container released the magic, it shook the building. Little metal trays rattled on stand next to Loki's bed but he hardly noticed. Several scientists in the room looked rather afraid at the sight before them.

Amora stood on a platform near the container. She had her arms outstretched, beckoning for the magic to come to her with a welcoming grin. Her grin looked maniacal as the magic churned through the air and down towards her arms. It wrapped around her fingers and then her arms before absorbing into her body. Amora had her eyes closed during the whole ordeal but when the last little bit disappeared into her, she opened her eyes that were now glowing green.

Loki tried to open his mouth to say something but his dry throat couldn't form any words. He felt drained - completely drained. He had never felt this empty before.

This couldn't have happened at a worse time. Figures that just when he realized that Odin had placed a block on his magic because the All-Father was afraid of what Loki could do, he _had_ to go and lose it all to some maniac.

A loud, gleeful laugh from Amora pushed itself through the fog in Loki's brain, waking him up ever so slightly. He should do something. Warn the others or try to talk her out of resurrecting Thanos but he couldn't move. His head hurt, his heart hurt, and yet he felt numb all over.

Amora's face suddenly appeared in Loki's field of vision. Loki squinted up at her; the bright light hurt his eyes. Her blonde hair framed her face. Most men would call her beautiful, but Loki hated her guts. He hated how useless he felt, all because of her.

"I have to thank you for allowing me to help save the world," Amora said, her voice silky and smooth but Loki hated how pleasant she sounded when her personality could be insufferable.

"Thanos will be grateful for your assistance in bringing him back to life. He might even repay you," Amora continued.

"_I doubt it,"_ Loki wanted to say but his voice refused to work. Instead, he rolled his eyes, instantly regretting it since it caused a sharp pain behind his eyes that refused to go away afterwards.

Amora, finally satisfied with how much torment she put Loki through, stood straight up. She walked over to the platform, her dress swishing around her slender legs. The sound made Loki want to throw up.

She spun around and grinned at Loki. "Thanos will reign once again. The universe will be saved and I will be the queen!"

Raising her hands toward the ceiling, Amora closed her eyes and leaned her head back. She muttered something too quiet for Loki to hear but as soon as she did, green energy swirled up towards the ceiling before dipping back down at another platform that Loki just noticed.

A large, humanoid outline started forming, the shape too familiar for Loki's liking. A wave of nausea hit him like a tsunami, and the gut-wrecking feeling didn't fade as Amora continued muttering. The effects were dizzying and rather memorizing as Loki had no other choice but to watch _his_ sedir being used to bring back the one thing who ruined his life. Who tortured him for nearly a year. Who took his dignity and trampled it underfoot. Who used him for his own entertainment. Who wiped out half the universe until the Avengers found a way to bring everyone back. Loki had killed him not even a year ago but now Amora was bringing him back.

The fear of having his life return to the way he lived in the void finally gave Loki enough strength to mutter one word: "_No."_

/\/\/\/\

Thor, Sigyn, Bucky, and Hela ran through the maze-like hallways trying to find the source of the blast. Hela had joined earlier, almost scaring Bucky have to death when she showed up suddenly in a storm of black smoke. Bucky, nevertheless, recovered from the scare, but not before he let loss a stream of curses that none of them cared to repeat.

They would have laughed at how jumpy the ex-assassin acted if the situation didn't involve Loki being in immediate danger. They _all _were in danger, and running straight toward the source of the blast couldn't have been more stupid since doing so could only mean certain doom.

Yet, somehow the danger of it faded away as all four of them focused on their anger. Anger at Amora for trying to do whatever the Helheim she had planned. And her plans involved Loki, which Sigyn and Thor _didn't _like. _At. All._

Bucky led the way, checking every corner before the rest followed. Thor wanted to lead but none of them had been in the base except for Bucky. Although his memory of it was rather foggy, it was still the best choice.

Surprisingly, they had ran across more guards then they had earlier. Nevertheless, the guards didn't stand a chance against three angry Asgardians and one pissed off assassin.

Time seemed to slow down as they ran through the halls, trying to find Amora and Loki. Sigyn wanted Hela to use her shadowing-traveling to get them there quicker but Hela said that teleporting somewhere unknown could be hazardous and possibly fatal, even for just one person who was immortal like herself.

So, they had to resort to regular running, searching every floor and taking down any Hydra agent they came across. The going was too slow for any of their liking but somehow they managed to find Loki.

Or at least the room he had been taken too after nearly half an hour of running.

Two large metal doors stood at the end of a hallway at the other end of the base and ten floors up from the main entrance. Green light shone out from underneath the little gap between the bottom of the doors and the hard floor.

Thor and Sigyn knocked out the four guards that stood there and waited for Bucky and Hela to join them. Together, all four of them used their combined power to blast open the doors, entering with their weapons raised.

Amora's head snapped down at the noise of the metal doors clanging open. The green energy faded around her spread hands, stopping the spell.

Loki lay on a table, metal bands strapping him down. Needles and tubes stuck out of his arms. Although they were too far away to tell, they could see that his eyes were half closed as he stared unblinking at Amora. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his curly hair stood up in places and were stuck to his forehead in others. If it wasn't for his laboring breathing, they would have thought that he was dead.

"YOU DARE?!" Amora shouted, her voice cracking with hysteria. Her eyes blazed with energy that was not her own.

Sigyn took a step forward, her sword reflecting the green magic still twirling through the air.

"No," Sigyn said, her voice strangle calm. "How dare _you_? You have the audacity to take _my_ boyfriend, torture _us_, and then try to turn the blame around on us. Do you have any idea who you're messing with? I think you have made a grave mistake."

The two women locked into a staring contest, each trying to glare each other down. Amora finally blinked and looked away, scoffing.

"I think that you are in no position to talk back to your savior," Amora hissed, her usually silky voice turning shrill as her anger and desperation rose. "I'm going to save the world, and nobody can stop me!"

Amora raised her hands and sent a blast towards the group. Thor dived to the side, taking Sigyn with him. Bucky rolled away and pulled the trigger on his gun. It ricocheted off the wall and hit one of the scientists in the back. The man crumpled and slumped onto the array of buttons and levers.

Hela disappeared in a puff of black smoke and reappeared behind Amora. She raised her sword, ready to strike, but a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her and twisted her wrist so hard that the pain made her drop her weapon.

Looking over her shoulder, Hela gave a jolt of surprise. Sleipnir stood behind her, pinning her arms back. A blue portal sat behind him, the light fizzling and cracking as it reacted with all the raw magic in the room. Jormungandr and Fenris stepped through the portal, their weapons drawn and faces blank.

It was scary seeing Fenris so emotionless; usually he would never stop talking to distract his opponent but now he had his lips pressed in a firm line, silent. Hela tried to struggle against Sleipnir but his tight grip on her never wavered.

"You have made your last move," Amora growled.

Bucky jumped to his feet and aimed his gun at Amora's head. "I have plenty of moves left," he snarled back. He pulled the trigger.

Time seemed to slow down as the bullet glided silently through the air towards Amora. Amora raised her hand, stopping the bullet mid-flight. It turned around and before anyone could react, it hit Bucky in the right shoulder. He hissed in pain and dropped his gun. It clattered to the ground and he pressed his metal hand on the wound to stop the bleeding.

Amora gave a small nod of her head. Fenris opened his palms and let loose a wave of ice. Sigyn slipped and flailed her arms in an attempt to grab hold of anything but she fell down. The ice crawled up her legs, cementing her in place. She tried to grab her sword but it had spun out of reach.

Thor bellowed in anger. Lightning crackled through the air, scaring the remaining scientists out of the room. His eyes flashed white-blue with electricity and he raised a fist towards the ceiling. He yanked it down and summoned a lightning bolt down onto Amora. She raised her hands to shield herself from the storm but it still hit her with full force.

Sleipnir passed Hela over to Fenris, who created icy handcuffs to keep her from fighting back. Sleipnir unsheathed his double viking longswords and glowered at Thor. Normally, Sleipnir hated fighting and preferred to attempt to find a way to gain peace but now no emotion showed on his face as he stood off against his uncle. Thor, unwilling to fight his nephew, laid off on the attack. Fighting them would do them no good, especially since Loki couldn't defend himself and when Amora his life under her control. If she snapped, then it was over.

Jormungandr snuck around and jabbed his battle axe into Bucky's back. Bucky relented and surrendered.

Sleipnir raised a sword and pressed it against Thor's throat, forcing Thor to take a step back to avoid being cut.

They were trapped.

Amora groaned and braced herself against the wall, clutching her stomach.

"That...was...not nice. At. _All," _Amora said through gritted teeth. She cracked her neck and rolled out her shoulders. "I did not appreciate being electrocuted, Thor deary."

Thor scoffed and looked away. His gaze fell onto Loki and his heart clenched painfully. He hated seeing his brother in pain. And Amora caused it.

He turned back towards Amora, his anger renewed and seething in a boiling pot of emotions. Hate, anger, fear. All those threatened to burst out of Thor in a storm of emotion but Thor reigned it in. It would do Loki no good if he set fire onto the base with everyone trapped inside.

"Let him go," Thor ordered, his voice calm and collected despite how much he wanted to reign Helheim down onto Amora. He never understood why Amora liked him and why she tried to get him to notice her when he clearly had no interest in her.

And yet, her fond smile sent shivers down his spine. How in the Nine Realms did Amora still think that Thor would beg for her to marry him when his own _brother_ lay half-dead on a table because of _her._

"Thor, love, I don't think that moving him is the best choice, considering how weak and fragile he is," Amora replied sweetly.

Thor bit his tongue to prevent him from saying something that would provoke her.

"What do you want?" Sigyn asked from the floor. Her hands were encased in ice and her skin a had blue tint to it. She shook a little from the cold but she seemed to be fighting it, wanting to look strong even though she couldn't move.

Amora tilted her head and tapped her chin thoughtfully with a perfectly manicured finger. "Oh, I don't know. Perhaps a universe without suffering. Without pain. Without everyone fighting each other all the time."

She moved around and placed a hand on Loki's chest. Thor let a low growl escape his throat and Amora removed her hand.

"But Asgardians are all about fighting, are they not? You enjoy the rush of battle so much that you refuse to do anything to stop it." Amora spread her arms wide and gave a small curtsy. "I can end all the suffering by bringing him back, to rule and save the universe!"

"Bring who back?" Bucky asked, his hand still pressed against his wound. Blood had soaked through his jacket, making the black leather glisten in the light.

Amora's eyes lit up excitedly. "Thanos! He will bring order and balance to everyone. He did it once, who's to say he cannot do it a second time?"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Sigyn shouted. "He _slaughtered_ half the universe for 'balance!' He is called the 'Mad Titan' for a reason. He'll kill everyone!"

"No, you are wrong. Thanos is a hero. And he deserves another chance after you _murdered him_."

Amora returned back to the platform. The glowing outline of a sentient being still stood on another platform. Thor glanced down at Sigyn. They both tried to hide their nervousness.

"I will save the universe," Amora shouted gleefully. She raised her hands toward the ceiling. Green energy curled out of her fingertips and dipped down towards the figure.

"That much foreign energy in someone is _lethal_!" Sigyn exclaimed. "She's going to kill herself!"

"She's going to kill _everyone,"_ Hela said.

And they had no way of stopping her.

**Next chapter coming soon! And Happy Thanksgiving! (If you celebrate that) Please review, I will be very grateful. :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm so sorry that it took me forever to update. Capstones/semester test gave me a lot of stress and took up a lot of my time. I didn't have any motivation to write, but here I am. I wanted this chapter to be longer so, obviously, it took longer to write. Anyways, Happy Holidays! And enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Enchanted**

The storm of magic shook the building as the energy increased and swirled around the ceiling. Amora had her head tilted back and her arms spread wide, reaching up and letting the magic flow from her fingertips. She had never felt this powerful before and the rush of it all was overwhelming. Jealousy tingled in the back of her mind - oh, how unfair it was that Loki was born with this much power while she had to learn a lesser form of magic. The second prince always got attention from Thor while she had to come up with ways to get the golden prince to notice her. Loki got Thor's love while she sat in the corner, unnoticed.

Yes, Loki had been bullied and made fun of for using magic - that at least gave her some joy, knowing that the citizens of Asgard didn't necessarily like Loki, but Thor always came rushing to his aid whenever he was beaten so badly by their peers.

She could prove them all wrong; bringing Thanos back gave her a chance to do so. She could be queen! And all the people would love her!

She first heard about Thanos and his followers when she took a trip to a planet not too far from Asgard. She had originally planned it to be a spa day but a league of Chitauri attacked and killed half the population. She only escaped after she bargained with their leader, who called himself The Other. He offered her a chance to join Thanos's "revolution," as he called it - an opportunity for balance and peace among the universe.

Amora couldn't turn down such a wonderful bargain and agreed to work for him. In return, they offered her the throne of Asgard. She could be queen and then figure out a way for Thor to fall in love with her.

Most of her work consisted of traveling around the galaxy to turn powerful adversaries onto their side and taking out those who refused to join. She had never met Thanos personally but she knew that he would be grateful for bringing him back to life.

She also had Loki, someone whom she knew that Thanos would like having back. She knew about Loki's time in the hands of Thanos and knew that Loki was Thanos's favorite "plaything." Being the ruler of the universe has its perks but everyone needed some sort of entertainment. Loki wouldn't like it but who really cares about what he thinks. Loki was a good bargaining chip, a valuable token that could grant her wish of being with Thor and ruling Asgard.

Being with Thor was a dream that Amora had ever since she was a little girl, and now she could practically feel it coming true.

The thought of having her dreams within her reach refueled her. Amora closed her eyes and delved deep inside, searching for every last drop of magic. A tight grip wrapped around her heart after she did so, squeezing painfully.

A warning said by Loki earlier flashed in the corner of her mind. She knew that using another person's sedir could be lethal but she was close, so close!

Ignoring the pain, Amora let loose a final wave of energy. Laughing with giddiness, Amora opened her eyes and let her arms drop down to her side. White spots danced in her field of vision but she blinked them away. She felt lightheaded but yet extremely excited.

A glowing form stood on the platform opposite of her, pulsating in time of her heart. The green glow started fading, forming into a different color, certain colors, of someone everyone knew. Slowly, features on the figure came into focus, and then the figure tilted his head and smiled at her.

She had done it.

/\/\/\/\

She had done it. She really did, and Thor hated her all the more for it.

He thought he had seen the last of the bastard's ugly, purple face. He could see every little detail, the scars, the stupid chin, everything down to the smug grin he had on his face.

_You should have gone for the head._

Those words brought too many memories flooding back. His people were slaughtered on the Statesman. Heimdall stabbed in front of him. His own brother, murdered while he could do nothing but watch. Loki, tortured after being brought back to life. And now, the person who caused all that stood not even ten feet in front of him.

Rage flooded his emotions, clouding his judgement. He _had_ to take Thanos out. He wouldn't let Thanos take Loki away from him, again.

Thor elbowed Sleipnir in the stomach, hard. Probably too hard but it forced Sleipnir to double over and drop his sword. Thor kicked the sword out his nephew's reach and placed his hand flat on Sleipnir's chest. Thor let out a little jolt of electricity, not enough to do any permanent damage but enough to knock Sleipnir unconscious.

Sleipnir looked up, his round, hazel eyes wide with shock, quite literally, too, before grimacing in pain and slumping forward as the electricity overloaded his nervous system. Thor caught him and lowered him gently to the ground before summoning Stormbreaker.

The commotion caught his other nephews' attention. Fenris let out a warning growl but Thor ignored it. Amora hadn't noticed the action happening near her, she seemed to be struggling against some unseen force.

Thor blasted away the ice holding Sigyn captive and spun around to throw Stormbreaker at Thanos. Thanos, strangely quiet, dodged it with ease.

While Thor and Thanos locked into a battle, Sigyn grabbed her sword and started towards Amora. Jormungandr stepped in her path, his own weapon raised. The two weapons clanged together and it became a pushing match as they both fought for ground.

Bucky, left unsupervised, bent down and scooped up his gun. He aimed it at Amora, whose back was turned toward them. He pulled the trigger, expecting to hit Amora straight in the back.

At the last moment, however, Fenris jumped in front of the speeding bullet, accepting the hit. He staggered back a few steps but otherwise was unharmed.

Hela, taking the opportunity of having Fenris away from her, summoned her magic and burst out of the ice that held her hands behind her back. She dragged Sleipnir's unconscious body out of the way of the battle then joined Bucky's side.

Fenris had the upper hand even though he had less experience than Bucky. Bucky tried avoiding being frozen as Fenris let out blasts of ice and snow. The floor quickly turned slippery and trying to stay upright became another challenge.

Sigyn gave Jormungandr a hard push and he stumbled into Hela. Hela caught him and wrenched the axe out of his hands. Jormungandr hissed in anger, his golden eyes flickering between serpentine and human-like. Hela sent her sword away in her small pocket dimension and resorted to hand-to-hand combat with her brother.

Sigyn, now free, blew stray hair out of her face and took a few determined steps towards Amora.

"Get Loki out here!" Thor shouted from where he and Thanos were struggling with each other. Thanos had Thor pinned against the wall, his large hand around Thor's throat. Thor let out a wild kick aimed at his stomach and pried the fingers off him. Thanos staggered, dropping Thor to his knees. Thor coughed and summoned Stormbreaker.

"What about you?!" Sigyn shouted back. "I'm not going to leave all of y-"

"Just go!" Thor yelled, Stormbreaker settling into his hand just in time for him to swing towards Thanos who had advanced on him. Thanos took the hit in the chest and landed a punch on Thor's face.

Sigyn turned away after Thor fell hard against the wall. The sounds of battle faded as Sigyn moved carefully but quickly through the room. She focused on her footing as the ice ring slowly grew to cover the entire floor and even started creeping up the walls.

She finally reached where Loki lay half out of it. Her foot slipped and she caught herself on the operating table. Straightening, Sigyn placed a hand on Loki's forehead. His skin was hot, too hot.

Wishing all sorts of punishments onto Amora in her head, Sigyn used her sword for leverage and pried off the metal bindings. She pulled out the needles, leaving little spots of blood on Loki's arms. She helped Loki sit up and off the table. Too weak to stand, Loki's knees buckled and he collapsed. Sigyn caught him and wrapped an arm around his waist and hauled him to his feet.

"I need you to try to walk," Sigyn said and draped his arm around her shoulders. Loki mumbled something incomprehensible which Sigyn took as agreement.

The way towards the exit was a lot harder the second time since Sigyn not only had to watch her own footing but Loki's as well. Loki, bless his heart, tried to walk but his legs couldn't keep up with his mind. They fell twice and Sigyn almost considered just carrying Loki but that would leave them open to attack and she didn't think she had the strength to carry him. They just needed to get out of the laboratory and then they will be alright.

Bucky, Thor, and Hela did their best to keep the fight away from them. The Hydra agents, thankfully, had left in fear for their lives. Amora hadn't moved from the platform, seemingly in pain.

"_Good,_" Sigyn thought. "_She can suffer."_

She felt terrible for having wished such a horrid thought on anyone but Loki's labored breathing and overly warm body pressed against hers reminded her of all the pain Amora had caused.

Finally, they reached the doors. Ice had frozen chunks of the metal door that Thor had blasted apart earlier to the floor, making an obstacle course. Sigyn carefully navigated around the frozen chunks and through the door. Only when they were safely down the hall and around a couple of corners did Sigyn stop. She helped Loki sit on the floor and leaned him against the wall.

He still struggled for breath and his eyes remained closed. Sigyn knelt down in front of him and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead and a few beads rolled down his cheeks. His face was flushed red, strange compared to his normally pale skin. Dark rings created a half-circle under his eyes. His long, dark eyelashes stood out against his skin. He would have looked almost peaceful Sigyn didn't know that her boyfriend was half-dead.

Placing a hand on his chest, Sigyn felt for a heartbeat. Even with her healing magic, it took her a while to find a faint beat. Adjusting her stance so she could see if anyone tried to sneak up on her, Sigyn let her magic flow out of her and into Loki. It wasn't much but it would have to do until they could get back home and into the healing bay in their house. Her foreign energy would most likely be attacked by Loki's immune system but healing magic usually was gentler and could be universally used. Healing magic was like a vaccine, it could possibly be rejected by the person's body but eventually, it helps protect them.

Just minutes later, Loki's eyes fluttered open and he groaned.

"Hey," Sigyn said.

"Wha?" Loki muttered. He tried sitting on his own but fell back against the wall.

"Don't strain yourself," Sigyn ordered gently. "We're just taking a quick break before we go meet Pietro in the car."

Loki's brows furrowed in question. "Where? Thor?"

Sigyn sighed. "They're fighting still. Amora did it; she summoned him. He sees different but there nonetheless."

Loki groaned and not just in pain. "No…"

"There's really nothing we can do," Sigyn said. "We should go-"

Sigyn moved to stand up but Loki grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. Sigyn obliged and leaned in to hear what Loki wanted to say.

"I need to go back," Loki said, his voice strained and quiet.

Sigyn recoiled and blinked in surprise. "What? No!"

Loki grimaced and looked Sigyn straight in the eyes. "Sigyn, if I don't go back, Amora is going to kill herself. And when that happens, who knows how big the effect will be. There is a town down there that I don't want to turn into a barren wasteland because of something that I can control."

Sigyn shook her head in denial. "No. No. We don't know what would happen if your sedir came back to you. You never had it..._extracted_ from you before and the side effects could possibly be fatal. No-"

Loki cupped Sigyn's cheek in his hand. "Darling, I know that this may be hard but Amora _is going to die_. She is lucky that she has lasted this long. It's not a matter of if but a matter of when. And when she does, she is going to bring everyone with her."

"Get everyone out of here," Loki continued. "I will try to absorb the energy when Amora...well, you know."

"But Thanos…" Sigyn said.

Loki nodded. "I know. He's different. Not entirely there. Hopefully, he will disappear when Amora loses control."

Tears started streaming down Sigyn's face, running streaks through the dirt and sweat on her cheeks. A sob escaped her throat before she could reign it in. She broke down and let the sobs roll out of her freely.

"Loki…"

Loki leaned forward and rested his forehead on Sigyn's. Sigyn closed her eyes and tried to control her crying.

"I love you," Sigyn sobbed out.

"I love you, too," Loki replied his own voice breaking.

The decision, Sigyn knew, was tough for Loki. She had to give him credit for being brave enough to go back where his former torturer was brought back from the grave and where a witch stole his sedir, rendering him powerless.

But the pain of helping Loki back to the lab only increased with every step. The sounds of battle grew louder and more distinct. She could hear the sound of lightning crackling in the air, metal swords clashing, pained grunts.

Before they turned the corner to go into the lab, Loki placed a hand on Sigyn's waist and gently pulled her closer. Tangling his fingers in Sigyn's messy hair, Loki leaned forward and kissed Sigyn on the lips. Sigyn kissed him back, only letting go for air. He was close, so close, his warm body pressed up against hers.

It could be their last kiss ever if anything went wrong.

And Sigyn didn't want to let him go.

Loki finally let go and using the wall for support, dragged himself into the lab. Sigyn stood on his right side in case he needed extra support.

The lab was in shambles. Ice covered every available surface. Snow and lightning glittered in the air, the two mixing and casting streams of rainbows onto the floor.

It would have looked beautiful except for Sleipnir laying on the ground, unconscious, Bucky bleeding from a shoulder wound, Thor and Thanos locked in an enteral battle, Jormungandr and Fenris teaming up against Hela who was limping. Amora still remained on the platform, watching the battle. She gripped the railing on the platform, blood streaming down her face from her eyes and nose.

"Get them out of here," Loki muttered. He staggered towards Amora, surprisingly keeping his balance despite how weak he was and the ice-covered floor.

Sigyn nodded and stumbled towards Bucky. Bucky grabbed Sleipnir and threw him over his good shoulder. Sigyn got Jormungandr's attention and knocked him out with a blow to the head. Hela tackled Fenris and disappeared in a puff of smoke; Sigyn could hear them appear out in the hallway.

"Thor!" Sigyn shouted as she shifted Jormungandr into an easier way of carrying him. "We're leaving!"

Thor raised his axe and sliced off the right arm of Thanos. Green light sparked from the open wound and the arm started reforming. Amora grunted in pain and clutched her own arm.

"What?" Thor growled, not taking his attention away from Thanos.

"We need to go!" Sigyn replied. She took a quick glance over to Amora but the enchantress wasn't paying attention to her.

"What is Loki doing here?" Thor asked as he ducked a punch from Thanos.

"I can't explain right now, but we need to go. Please!"

"Brother," Loki added, his voice strained. "You need to leave."

Thor shook his head and pushed Thanos back. "I'm not leaving you here."

Loki, however, remained stubborn and refused to back down from his choice. "Do it, please. For me."

Thor paused to contemplate Loki's words.

"I have a plan," Loki added, a small hint of a smile cracking at his thin lips but it seemed strained.

"And why do I have a bad feeling about?" Thor shot back.

"Just trust me on this," Loki said. "We don't have much time."

Thor stopped and nodded. Once Loki had his mind made up, nothing in the universe could change it. There was no point and hardly any time to argue with his brother so Thor took Jormungandr from Sigyn and followed Sigyn out of the lab, although both of them were overwhelmed with guilt for leaving Loki behind.

Thanos, surprisingly, didn't try to chase Thor. Instead, the Titan turned his attention onto the younger prince.

"Oh Thor," Loki called after his brother. Thor stopped at the door and turned back. Loki gave Thor a sad smile.

"Never forget that I love you."

/\/\/\/\

The wait was killing him. He was already dead but it sure felt like he was nothing more than a ghost who couldn't do anything but watch.

He had experienced the feeling of helplessness when he first died and could only watch his twin sister, Wanda, mourn his death. He wanted to do something then but Hela said that suddenly appearing out of nowhere after just dying a horrible death would do more harm than good.

Pietro trusted her, of course. He supposed that she had to be right since she had centuries of experience with the dead while he had only been dead for a few hours.

Hela had helped him to travel easier between the living and dead by granting what she called the "open relationship with death." He didn't know for sure what she did but he felt alive again. The only drawback was that if he died in the Land of the Living, his soul wouldn't return to Valhalla. But it wasn't every day that the queen of Valhalla granted someone another chance at life.

And know he felt like a ghost again. His wound throbbed but the pain was dull. Sigyn helped him a lot but nothing could fix the feeling of helplessness.

He felt useless. He should be up there, fighting alongside his girlfriend. He could help somehow, in any w. Anything would be better than sitting in a rather nice car listening to two old guys talk about "the good old days" on the radio.

Pietro banged his head against the headrest in frustration. The mountain base was not visible from here, which he supposed was planned out by those who built it. The whole point of a secret base was not to be found.

The moon shone brightly, lighting up the interior of the car. The only sign of life was the occasional rabbit or bird. The town looked peaceful; Pietro envied how oblivious they were to the battle that was just a few miles up the mountain.

He felt himself nodding off and rolled down the window to wake him up. He needed to stay awake. The cool breeze brought him back to attention.

Just in time to watch as the mountain exploded.

**Cliffhanger! More is coming soon, I promise. Possibly by the end of this year if I find time and motivation during Christmas break. Please review! It gives me motivation. :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Another chapter before the end of the decade! Gosh, I feel old, even though I'm still in school. :( It's surprising how time flies. It feels like I was just watching the first Avengers movie back in 2012.**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Disaster on Mount ****Charteris**

The shockwave tore down the mountain before Pietro could react. The windshield shattered and Pietro could hear glass shattering in the nearby houses. The explosion had woken several people up. Already there were people out in the streets talking and looking confused and scared.

Pietro shook the glass out of his hair and shut off the radio. People were standing in their pajamas and pointing up at the mountain. Some had their phones out, most likely calling 911 or recording the disaster.

Pietro contemplated getting out of the car or staying put but then decided that he would look weird if he stayed within a car with blown-out windshield and covered in glass.

Brushing off the remaining glass, Pietro opened the car door and joined the ever-growing crowd.

Curious and nervous whispers filled the silent night. One elderly lady was clearly in contact with 911; her frightened voice shrill with worry.

"What happened?" a little girl asked, her hand tightly gripped her mother's fingers.

"We're going to die!" a teenage boy exclaimed.

"Where are the Avengers?" another man asked.

The mother with the little girl moved closer to Pietro.

"Who are you? Are you okay?" the mother asked, surprising Pietro with the question. He figured the town was small enough that everybody knew everyone and a stranger would stick out. Not to mention the spot of blood on his sweatshirt; that alone would draw attention.

Thinking quickly, Pietro came up with a cover story to not give away the fact that his girlfriend and her family were most likely dead from that explosion.

"My girlfriend and I were camping in the woods when we got attacked by a mountain lion," Pietro lied. "My girlfriend and I got separated when we were attacked. I hoped that she would find her way back down to where we parked but she hasn't come back yet."

"Do you need help?" the woman asked, her face softening. "The police are already on their way. We can get you an ambulance."

"I'm fine," Pietro said but he didn't know if he was trying to assure the woman or himself. Was he really fine? What the hell happened up there?

"I'm okay, they're okay…" Pietro muttered to himself. "_I hope."_

/\/\/\/\

Being alone with two enemies staring at him, Loki started rethinking his decisions. Hardly being able to stand without holding onto something, Loki wished he was anywhere but here. Although he knew that Thanos wasn't entirely himself, Loki couldn't help thinking back to the Void. Panic clawed its way up to his chest, threatening to send him into a full panic attack.

"Well, well, well," Amora said, sounding smug despite the blood drying from her nose and eyes. "Guess you found your rightful place, didn't you, little runt?"

Thanos grinned savagely at Loki. Loki tried to ignore it but it reminded him of those times when Thanos would smile like that before beginning to torture him. That grin sent shivers down Loki's spine and he almost collapsed before he caught himself on the table that Amora had strapped him onto earlier.

"Scared, princey?" Amora jeered. "Surely you can't be thinking of turning back now."

Summoning any bit of courage left inside him, Loki stood up straighter and tried to look confident. "You're dying, Amora. Surely you can't be thinking about taking over the universe when you are barely holding it together."

Amora laughed. "You don't look much better yourself."

"At least I will be alive after this," Loki retorted. "Give my sedir back to me and you can walk away in one piece, alive. We can end this foolishness right now if you-"

"I'm not going to give you _anything_," Amora hissed. "Except for your old life back." She nodded at Thanos, who took a step forward. "He misses your company. You probably don't want to leave him alone at night. Or any time of day, for that matter. You belong with Thanos, not with your pathetic family."

Loki's eyes flickered over at Thanos, who was standing too close for comfort.

"Are you seriously still in love with my brother?" Loki asked, trying to buy time.

A fond smile spread on Amora's face. "Of course. You will probably be too busy keeping Thanos entertained to join our wedding."

"He hates you, you know."

"I can change that," Amora said, clutching the power stone necklace. "When Thanos takes over the universe, I will be by his side. I can gain access to the mind stone. Or, maybe I can use _you_ as a bargaining chip!"

Amora clapped delightfully. "Oh, yes! I can offer you in exchange for Thor's hand in marriage. And then never give you over. Trick him. It's a splendid idea; he would definitely want to rescue his poor, little brother."

Amora's little speech distracted Loki so much that he only noticed Thanos standing behind him when the Titan's large hands wrapped around his arms, pinning them to his sides. Loki gave a yelp of surprise and struggled to get free but Thanos didn't relent. In fact, Thanos dragged Loki up towards Amora and forced him to kneel.

Loki's knees slammed painfully onto the hard ground. Thanos kept a hand on the top of Loki's head, tangling his fingers through Loki's hair and forced him to look up at Amora. Amora clutched the railing and sneered down at Loki.

"Say good-bye to your freedom, little runt," Amora jeered. "After today, you will be nothing but a slave."

Loki growled but the hand on his head brought even more painful memories rushing back. He suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu, a horrible feeling of helplessness. A large knot settled in his stomach, making him feel nauseous. Not again, he cannot be taken again, used, tortured, forced to oblige to Thanos's every whim.

Just when he thought that he would forever be stuck serving Thanos, Amora screamed. The shrill sound rang loudly in Loki's ears; he felt the start of a headache. His neck remained stretched as Thanos kept his head facing upwards.

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki saw Amora double over and cough out blood. She collapsed to her knees and coughed. Blood continued to leak from her nose, ears, and eyes. She was literally coming apart at the seams.

"You don't have to do this," Loki exclaimed. He tried to sound confident but the presence of Thanos standing behind him was unnerving. "Release my sedir and save yourself. You can't marry Thor if you are dead."

Amora didn't respond. She couldn't respond. Loki heard a little thud; he could only guess that Amora passed out.

The grip on his head suddenly disappeared. With nothing to keep him upright, Loki fell forward. He rolled onto his back and pushed himself up on his elbows to see what happened to Amora.

Thanos glowed green, sparks flying off his body. Amora was back on her feet, using Thanos as support. She stared at her hands in horror. Her hands flared green; her whole body had a green gleam to it.

Loki felt a surge of energy pulsate out of Amora's body. The light burned brighter and brighter, becoming more intense.

"NO!" Amora shouted. Loki squinted up at her, the energy tearing her apart. She couldn't hold it for much longer.

Amora let out a high pitched scream as Loki's sedir ripped through her, splitting Amora into millions of pieces as the sedir detonated.

/\/\/\/\

The force of the explosion knocked Loki back, hitting his head on the floor. He could feel his teeth rattling together and the possible start of a concussion.

The shockwave shattered every glass surface in the room and the entire base. Lights burst, sending shards of glass raining down on him. Loki rolled onto his stomach and covered his head with his hands. Glass wouldn't harm him but if the ceiling were to start caving in on him, then he would be in trouble.

He felt the surge of energy rumble down the mountain, reminding him that many people lived down there.

When Loki felt like all was clear, his slowly uncurled from his spot on the floor and surveyed the damage.

The explosion had completely evaporated Amora, taking Thanos with her. A ball of green energy hovered in the spot where she stood, lighting up the room with a soft glow. Glass covered the already slick floor, making the ice shine like diamonds.

Cracks snaked up the walls and on the ceiling. A chunk of concrete fell next to Loki, making him jump. Looking up, he could see the stars from empty space the chunk left.

More chunks fell, breaking on the floor much faster than Loki expected. The floor, itself, started cracking.

The base was collapsing, with him in it!

Loki tried to stand up, but a sudden headache blinded him and forced him back down. He waited for the headache to pass but it only faded a little, the presence of it reminding him that he needed to get checked out for a concussion.

He needed to move fast if he didn't want to get crushed by tons of concrete but his limbs refused to work.

Sigyn and Thor crossed his mind as Loki lay on the floor, trying to summon enough energy to move. They would miss him, for sure. The kids would miss him. They needed their father. Sigyn needed her boyfriend. Thor needed his brother. They all needed _him. _He wouldn't die without putting up a fight. He survived worse; he surely could survive a ceiling caving in on him.

Ha! Pathetic. He was Loki, the god of mischief. He survived falling into the Void, being tortured by a Titan, being beaten by the Hulk, impaled by a Dark Elf. He's been tortured to the brink of death countless times and _always_ came back from it. What was a little base compared to being choked to death by Thanos?

Refusing to give up for his family (and possibly a little bit of his pride), Loki reached out his arm, calling the energy towards him. He had never been drained of it before so he didn't know the side effects of absorbing it again but he had to try. For Sigyn. For Thor. For the kids.

The energy curled around his fingertips and snaked down his arm. Every nerve lit up with sedir, making his entire body glow. It was quite painful, to say the least. The sedir felt like lava being pushed through his veins. Sweat trickled down his back and face, blurring his vision.

This mixed with his concussion and already current state of weakness almost shorted out his heart. But he pushed through until he absorbed it all.

Just in time as the ceiling toppled down on him.

/\/\/\/\

They were halfway down the mountain when an unseen force knocked them all down. Sigyn landed on her knees, catching herself before she slipped down the small cliff in front of her. Hela collapsed beside her, just as equally shocked.

Sigyn heard a loud snap and cry of pain coming from behind her. Looking back, she saw Bucky holding his right wrist. A white glint of bone shone in the pale moonlight. The bone had broken through his skin, blood streaming onto the ground.

Sigyn crawled over to him and gently took his wrist into her hands.

"This will hurt," Sigyn said. "But it will be better afterward."

Bucky nodded and gritted his teeth. Sigyn closed her eyes and summoned her healing magic.

Nothing happened. She felt nothing.

Opening her eyes, Sigyn grimaced and tried again.

Again, nothing.

She was mentally and physically drained; she couldn't heal anyone right now.

Sighing, Sigyn sat back on her heels and pushed the bone back into place. Bucky flinched and stifled a yelp. Sigyn tore off a piece of her cape and wrapped it around his wrist. It would have to do until she could use her magic again.

Bucky slowly laid down on the grass, clutching his broken wrist with his metal hand. Soon after, he was asleep from exhaustion.

Sigyn plopped down next to him and stared up at the trees. Tears started forming her eyes. Loki was up there. He couldn't have survived _that_.

Off in the distance, she could hear sirens. The shockwave most likely had found the town at the bottom of the mountain. At least they had help, unlike themselves who were too tired to go any further.

"What happened?" a quiet voice asked.

Sigyn propped herself up on her elbows and looked around their mess of a group.

Fenris was sitting up, his chocolate brown eyes wide with shock. "What did I do? Where's dad?"

Thor, thankfully, took the onslaught of questions. He explained the events, not even taking the time to sugarcoat anything for the kids. It was a common rule in their household that everyone had to be truthful, even if it hurts. Loki had said that he had dealt with enough lies and lying only made the pain of the truth worse.

The usually joyful youngest boy deflated in front of their eyes. It broke Sigyn's heart, even more, to see Fenris look so dejected.

Jormungandr scooted closer to his younger brother and, surprisingly, gave him a hug. Fenris leaned into the hug and closed his eyes. Jormungandr rested his chin on his brother's head and closed his own eyes as well.

"Is dad going to be okay?" Hela asked.

If there ever was a time that Sigyn wanted to lie and say that everything was going to turn out just fine, it was now. But that would be going against everything she stood for. No amount of lying could bury the truth. They all knew that the odds of Loki surviving were slim.

"I don't know," Sigyn admitted. Those three words broke something inside her and she broke down crying. Thor slid over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

She could hear Thor's breaths and quiet sniffles. He was trying to hold it together, to be strong for the rest of them, but she knew that he was hurting, too.

Looking past Thor's shoulder and up the mountain, Sigyn could barely see the Hydra base. It blended in well with the trees and rocks but she had seen enough of it in the past several hours to be able to pick it out even in the dark.

She watched, through the trees, as the base collapsed, taking her boyfriend, the love of her life, with it.

**Next chapter coming soon! Please review! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year/Decade!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey everyone! I know that it's been a while but I wanted to finish this story off strong. I've been busy with school I had a hard time finding time to write this. That being said, I hope you enjoy this last chapter!**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Coming Full Circle**

The wail of sirens slowly faded as the Thor and Sigyn made their way back up the mountain. Fenris and Hela had decided to join Pietro while Bucky and Jormungandr stayed with the still unconscious Sleipnir. Sigyn and Thor had wanted to go back to the collapsed base to try and find Loki's body. The chances of anyone, including a Frost Giant, surviving that were extremely low but not impossible. Despite this, they were dreading on what they were going to find.

The sun had started to rise, painting the sky orange and pink. Finally being able to see where they were going, Sigyn noticed how thick the forest truly was. Branches hung low on many of the trees, the culprit for the countless scratches Sigyn and the others had received when they were fleeing down the mountain. The trees were almost bare because of the autumn season, which allowed for more sunlight to shine through. Fallen leaves covered any footprints that they would have left, and roots and underbrush threatened to trip anyone who were not looking where they were going. All in all, it was a miracle that they had made it as far as they had considering how fast they were going and the lack of light.

Relying on memory and gut instinct, the duo managed to find the Hydra base.

Or what was left of it.

A large, unnatural hole stood gaping where the base had stood. Huge chunks of concrete lay in a pile, most of them cracked and several were completely broken into smaller pieces. Rocks and dirt had fallen from the mountain, taking a couple trees along with it. Large poles of metal plumbing and wiring stuck up through the concrete like a tree growing through rock. Several small fires dotted the ruins, sending smoke curling up into the air. Dust and smoke made the air hazy. Shards of glass gave the rubble a shiny glare to it, turning the sunlight into rainbows that were the only source of color.

Sigyn's knees suddenly turned into jelly and she fell hard onto a dusty, gray concrete slab. Thor stood frozen with his mouth dropped open in shock. Any hope of finding Loki alive immediately diminished.

"Brother…" Thor whispered in hopes that saying his name would somehow compel the younger prince to rise out from underneath the rubble.

Sigyn grabbed at the ground, trying to find something solid to anchor her back into reality. She would much rather be anywhere else other than here but she needed to know. Needed to know if Loki…_if Loki…_

She couldn't bring herself to even think about it - never would she speak it. Admitting it would only confirm the inevitable truth and she didn't want it to be real. He _had _to be alive; he wasn't the type to die easily.

Any yet, deep down, it was only a matter of time before she would have to let him go. Loki had died, truly died, only once before and that had shattered her heart. Although she had seen him while _she_ was in Valhalla waiting to take down Thanos, for the first time for her, the thought of never having a chance to live together while alive was unbearable. They had talked about marriage before and Sigyn had told Loki to wait three Asgardians years, when they were _legally_ considered adults, with the belief that both of them would remain alive until then.

They were _supposed_ to get married - even the myths believed so. He couldn't be dead - Sigyn wouldn't allow it.

Determined to prove the myths right, Sigyn pushed herself to her feet and picked up a chunk of concrete. She threw it away from the pile and moved onto the next piece. Thor shook himself out of his stupor and joined her. Together, they dug through the pile of rubble, piece by piece.

Although they were several times stronger than humans, the going was slow, mostly due to the fact that both of them were exhausted. They were running a low amount of sleep, food, and energy. The blazing autumn sun, now uncomfortably warm in the noon sky, only made it worse.

Both of them were silently praying to the Norns, hoping to at least find Loki's body. Of course, finding him alive would be preferred but considering how heavy the collapsed base was, nobody could stop themselves from being crushed by the weight.

Most people would have given up by now; however, Sigyn and Thor's determination finally paid off. After hours of searching, around one o'clock in the afternoon, Sigyn spotted something peeking out from underneath a fallen beam. Moving closer, being careful to not slip and twist an ankle on the ruins, she found a patch of green laying in a small cavern in the concrete.

"Thor!" Sigyn shouted in excitement, bringing the other Asgardian rushing over from the opposite end of the ruins.

Sigyn pointed down at the cavern once Thor reached her. A fallen beam held up chunks of concrete, creating a little space big enough for someone to lie down in. Thor, fueled by anticipation, readied himself to hold up the fallen beam so that Sigyn could crawl in there and bring out whatever, or whoever, lay underneath.

On the count of three, Thor lifted the beam up with a grunt. Sigyn quickly but carefully slipped down into small space and landed on something soft. Looking closer, Sigyn noticed that she had stepped on someone's leg, a man's leg. Using her hands to feel around, Sigyn found the man's face, which felt cold to the touch despite the heat.

Getting no reaction, Sigyn wrapped her hands under his armpits and dragged him out of the small space. There wasn't much room to stand up so she had to crouch and walk out backwards while watching her step on the slippery rubble. Once Sigyn had dragged the man all the way out and laid him down on the ruins, Thor set the beam down and joined her.

Out in sunlight, they could see that the man was really Loki, rather beat up, but Loki nonetheless. His eyes were closed, scrunched up in pain. His right leg was twisted in an uncomfortable position, most likely adding to the list of injuries that he had with his right leg. Bruises and scratches criss-crossed his face. Blood had darkened his already black leather jacket because of a shoulder wound - a metal rod had managed to bury itself into Loki's left shoulder, the rusty tip sticking out as if to mock them for being too late to save him.

"Loki," Thor breathed a sigh of relief or dread or a mixture of both. Considering how bad he looked, taking into account his inevitable confrontation with Amora and Thanos would only make his condition worse. He needed immediate medical attention but Sigyn had no energy left.

"We need to get back to the car," Sigyn said, trying to focus on Loki's dire condition. She couldn't find a heartbeat and he wasn't breathing. But she still refused to let him go out like this.

Thor nodded and carefully picked Loki up, being mindful of his injuries.

But before the two could make their way back down the mountain, an orange circle of light lit up around their feet. Recognizing what it was from when the same thing happened to them in New Asgard, Thor quickly stepped out of the circle and motioned for Sigyn to do the same.

"What _is_ that?" Sigyn asked, stumbling as her foot slipped on a loose piece of concrete.

"A portal," Thor answered. "We have to move."

Sigyn followed Thor off the collapsed base but the portal chased them, trailing ever so slightly behind them but gaining speed.

Little by little, the portal caught up with the group. Sigyn tripped over a root and collided with a tree. Thor almost dropped Loki when his foot slid on a pile of leaves.

They were trapped and too tired to keep going.

Quickly, the portal swallowed them whole, leaving no sign that anyone had ever been there.

/\/\/\/\

The polished, hardwood floor looked rather hard, even from a distance. And it felt no different when all nine of them landed on it.

Fenris let out a rather unmanly scream as he plummeted towards the floor, barely catching himself in time to maneuver into a clumsy roll. Sleipnir fell flat on the ground, the impact doing nothing to help his unconscious form and inevitable concussion. Jormungandr, Hela, and Pietro all landed on their feet although Pietro stumbled and would have fallen if Hela didn't grab his arm. Thor fell on his rear, his knuckles white from where he had a death-grip on his brother, refusing to let him go. Sigyn caught Bucky before the ex-assassin could land on his already broken wrist.

"What in the Nine Realms?!" Fenris exclaimed and looked around, his chocolate brown eyes wide with shock.

They were standing, or for some of them, sitting, in front of a large staircase that split into two staircases leading in opposite directions. A set of double doors led to the busy street outside. The whole building had the feel of being ancient yet had a powerful aura. A man in blue garments and a red cape stood at the bottom of the stairs, a disapproving look plastered on his face as he stared at the disheveled group.

"Doctor Strange," Hela said, confirming that they were inside the Sanctum Sanctorum, the New York City stronghold for the Masters of the Mystic Arts.

Thor struggled to stand up while holding Loki. Eventually he got to his feet and glared at Strange.

"What do you want?" Thor questioned, getting right to the point. Loki needed immediate medical attention and standing around talking would do nothing to help his younger brother.

"It concerns your brother," Strange replied with no emotion in his voice. He seemed angry for some reason. Loki would have done a better job of reading his facial expressions but considering how the prince was still unconscious, the Sorcerer Supreme's intentions remained shrouded in mystery.

"He's in no condition to do anything right now," Thor retorted, a hint of hostility flowing into his voice. Although Strange had helped him find his father, he didn't trust him in the slightest. The fact that Strange acted like he was above Thor and treated Loki as threat (which was understandable but he didn't _need _to send Loki in a free fall for thirty minutes) and as a lesser sorcerer infuriated Thor to no end. He could add more to the list but right now he just wanted to go home, shower, and take a long nap.

Strange glanced at Loki and nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry about your brother but I am sure that he will eventually be alright," Strange said. He held up a hand before Thor or the others could say anything.

"Now, I'm sure you are all wondering why you are here," Strange said.

"Please," Jormungandr said sharply. "Go on. I'd like to hear why you are stalking us like some crazed fan, you pathetic jac-"

"Let him explain," Sigyn interrupted before Jormungandr finished his sentence that would surely anger Strange even more. To Strange she said, "I want you to know that we are no threat to you or Midgard. We merely want to be left in peace."

Strange pursed his lips and paused before saying, "A group of unregistered Asgardians on Earth is not something that I can let go lightly."

"You're following us?" Bucky accused but it came out more like a question. He still held onto his broken wrist, having given up on hiding the pain.

Strange tilted his head, signaling for Bucky to go on.

"You were the one who opened that portal in Romania and then in Seattle," Bucky explained, the pieces all falling together. "Then in New Asgard and later on the mountain. All that was you, wasn't it?"

Strange's lips curled upward in a small smile. "Yes, it was me," he confirmed. "And I did it for a reason."

"Why?" Sigyn asked, one hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw at any moment. The tension in the room didn't ease her distrust in the former surgeon. "Why would you let us get captured by Amora? You knew, didn't you? You knew that Amora was planning something and yet you did _nothing_ but mess with our lives."

Anger flashed in Strange's blue-gray eyes. "Amora had the power stone, one of the stones that disappeared after we defeated Thanos. I had no idea that she would have Gorr capture you, and for that, I am truly sorry, but you needed to be together and work as a team to stop her from bringing Thanos back."

"And why couldn't the Avengers deal with her?" Bucky questioned, taking a step forward. "Why us?"

"That was my original plan but once Gorr captured the five of you, I doubted that you would want the Avengers to know that Loki is alive. Well, barely," Strange answered. When no one replied, he continued, "The Avengers would want Loki to have a trial and he would most likely lose even though Loki did help defeat Thanos. You said it yourself, Sigyn, that your family wants to be left in peace, and I granted you that."

"What do you want? Our thanks?" Jormungandr retorted. "You could have helped, you know."

Strange's pale cheeks flushed red, showing through his usual, concealed self. "Loki and Bucky needed to meet, and if I told them why right away, then the chances of them actually following through with my plan would decrease."

"Plan? What plan?" Bucky asked. Although he liked Loki and had even started to consider him as a friend, he didn't like how Strange set them up. "Are you playing 'matchmaker' or something?"

"You needed to meet - for a reason," Strange continued, not even caring that he had some snippiness in his voice. "When I looked forward in time, I saw many futures. And the future that we won, this one, there is a group that is striving to bring Thanos back, much like Amora. Thanos's followers are angry for the death of their master, and his son is the leader of this group."

Pietro tentatively raised his hand like student waiting to be called on by a teacher. "Woah, hold up. Thanos has a _son_?"

Hela's eyes widened. "Thane." She had heard of him before but had never met him in person. Hearing about him again when she thought she had heard the last of Thanos and his 'family' only brought feelings of dread. Maybe he was right; maybe Strange knew what he was talking about.

Strange nodded. "That is right. I couldn't believe it at first but we need - the universe needs - more than one team out there that is willing to take on threats like these. The Avengers cannot do this alone and I'm sure that Loki knows a lot about Thanos's ideas and plans."

The group stopped and looked around at each other, nervousness and confusion on theirs faces. Thane? Thanos's son? Thanos's followers converging to bring him back? Amora had mentioned something like that, but hearing it from someone a little more sane was different and brought a whole new understanding to the conspiracy.

"We'll deal with it when it happens," Thor finally said, breaking the silence. "Until then, leave us alone."

Strange raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry but I cannot let you do that."

"Why not?" Jormungandr said. "You said that you were not going to get the Avengers involved. This seems like a matter that the Avengers should know about, not just us. We've fought with the Avengers before, so why wouldn't we help?"

When Strange didn't reply, Sigyn cut in.

"There's something else, isn't there?" she questioned. "Something that involves us."

"I never said anything like that," Strange replied.

Sigyn scoffed. Years of medical study taught Sigyn how to tell when patients were lying. And now, she could tell that Strange was holding something back.

"You're hiding something. Something about Loki," Sigyn continued. "And don't say that he and Buky needed to meet because of _fate_ or something because I know that you are lying."

"Loki is a _threat_," Strange finally snapped. "When Odin died, his block on Loki's magic faded, granting Loki access to his full store of power. That much power, left unchecked, is a danger to people. Magic is easily traceable and wherever he goes, Thane and his ever growing army are sure to follow. Thanos's followers want revenge on him for killing their master; if Loki remains on Earth, he could bring devastation upon us all."

"Are you saying that Loki has to leave?" Bucky asked.

"If he left, then Thane would find him. It would be better off if Loki...passed."

Shouts of protest arose and Sigyn looked ready to stab Strange through the chest for even suggesting such a thing when Strange held up his hands for silence.

"It would be better for him, and for the rest of the universe," Strange explained, his voice rising above commotion. "Letting Loki live would bring him pain if Thane manages to capture him. This is a better option for _everyone_. I know that it is hard but try to understand that you are saving him from a life of suffering. There is no telling what Thane would do to Loki."

"I thought for certain that Barnes would tell the Avengers or end up killing him. The future predicted that you, Bucky, were the one to kill him, saving us from a war more devastating than both World Wars combined."

"Am I nothing but an assassin to you?!" Bucky snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, I've stopped doing things like that. I'm not a cold-blooded murderer and Loki is my _friend."_

"If you would just listen to me-" Strange protested.

Thor finally had enough. He took a few menacing steps towards Strange looked him straight in the eyes.

"I am _done_ with you controlling our lives, playing the role of the Norns. My brother is _dying_ and yet you insist that the universe would be better off if he was dead. People change and Loki is a better man. He is still learning but with a little help, he could do wonderful things. We are capable of defending ourselves and we _will_ get involved if the Norns allow it, but we are not going to be taking orders from _you. _If there is going to be a war, then killing Loki will do nothing to prevent it. I personally believe that this matter should be decided by Loki, not you."

The tension in the room escalated as the two glared at each other, neither backing down. Lightning crackled in the air from Thor's anger. The sound of car horns and the rush of the city outside filled the silence.

"Send us home, back to Seattle, and then you and I will have a private conversation about this," Thor ordered, his statement final and intimidating. "And the Avengers will _never_ know about Loki and the kids."

Seeing no other option and not wanting to be on the receiving hand of Thor's wrath, Doctor Strange assented. They would never listen, not when they were all exhausted from the deadly adventure that he had some hand in. He waved his hand and opened a portal, the other end showing the disheveled living room of their house.

"Very well," Strange said before Thor could step through the portal. "Just know that the future is pointing towards intergalactic war. And your brother is the reason for it."

/\/\/\/\

A few days had passed since their meeting with Strange. Thor had come home angry after his conversation with Doctor Strange. He had stomped his way up to his room, refusing to talk to anybody and only leaving to get food. Everyone made an unspoken agreement to leave him alone until the god of thunder calmed down.

Sleipnir, finally, had woken up, confused but otherwise alright. Hela and Pietro busied themselves with organizing the cardboard boxes, both of them giving each other some space while making sure that the other never left their sight for fear of losing each other. The effects of when Pietro was stabbed by Hela had shaken them up and it threw a hurdle in their relationship that they would have to overcome but they were already looking like they were almost past it. Jormungandr joined in for a while but lost interest and went to help Fenris set up their Xbox.

Bucky kept mostly to himself. Sigyn had put a cast on his wrist but he avoided doing anything too strenuous. They had moved an extra mattress downstairs into the empty room where he stayed. Sigyn lent Bucky some of Loki's clothes that Bucky promised he would give back once he left, _if _he left.

After all that they had been through, Bucky had no desire to leave Loki. They had survived together and considered each other friends; leaving would hurt but Bucky had no way of getting back to Romania.

Sitting cross legged on his borrowed mattress and blankets while cleaning his gun, mostly out of habit and also because he had nothing else to do, he heard a soft knock on the closed door.

Bucky called from his spot for the person to come in, not entirely sure why someone would knock when he technically didn't live here.

"Hey," Loki said, prompting for Bucky to look up.

Loki stood against the doorframe, a soft gray blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a plastic water bottle dangling from his left hand. His short, black hair stuck up in uncombed curls that made him look like a scared cat. Dark circles under his eyes were strikingly prominent against his pale skin. His feet were bare and he looked ready to collapse at a moments notice. For someone who many assumed had a large ego, seeing the prince wearing nothing but dark sweatpants and a loose green T-shirt and looking like an overall mess was quite a shocking contrast.

"What are you doing up?" Bucky asked and set his gun down.

Loki gave a tired half-smile. "What? No hello? No 'how have you been?'"

Always the one for jokes, Loki could still crack a wise-one even if he could barely stand. Bucky stood up and helped Loki over to the mattress where the prince sat down with a heavy sigh.

"I thought Sigyn told you to rest," Bucky said and leaned against a bare wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"That woman is going to end up killing herself by worrying over me," Loki said. He tried to twist open the cap on the water bottle but his hand kept slipping. Sighing, he reluctantly handed it over to Bucky who opened it with ease.

"Well, no offense but you look like you could fall over if someone breathed too hard," Bucky joked but he had some truth to it. Loki _did_ look horribly beat up and exhausted.

Loki gave a tired laugh. "I could probably also fall over if _I_ breathed too hard."

Sliding down the wall, Bucky rested his back against it and splayed his legs out in front of him.

"Speaking of her, where _is_ Sigyn?" he asked.

Loki waved his hand in the air, motioning at nothing. "Off on a job interview after her first boss fired her for not showing up to her new job for several weeks."

"Well, wouldn't you?"

Loki shrugged. "Maybe but he's still an inconsiderate jerk. I mean, nobody fired Stark after he went missing for three months, so why wouldn't they do the same for Sigyn?"

This time, Bucky shrugged. "No one knew about that except us. I wouldn't hold against him; I'm sure he had his reasons."

Loki hummed in thought and took another sip of water. The silence in the room became stifling as small talk died out so Bucky tried his hand at a conversation starter.

"Did you come here for someone or-"

"I couldn't figure out how to set up the television in our room and I had nothing else to do so I thought I would come visit you," Loki cut in before Bucky finished his sentence. "The kids are still unpacking and Thor won't come out of his room for some reason."

Bucky hesitated. Did Loki know about what happened at the Sanctum Sanctorum? Did Sigyn tell him?

"Have you heard-"

"I know," Loki interrupted. He tilted his head to look at Bucky. "Apparently Doctor Strange said that a war is coming or something along those lines. It's really not surprising that Strange messed with our lives again. I should have known that the portals were actually him but I was too focused on Sigyn and the kids to notice."

Sigyn must have told him then. It must have been hard to break the news to him when Loki was still pretty much out of it but at least Bucky didn't have to explain everything to him.

"Strange said that you know about Thanos's plans and followers," Bucky said. "Did you know about Thane?"

It took a while for Loki to reply but he eventually sighed and leaned his elbows on his knees, preparing himself for a painful explanation. The mention of Thanos most likely brought up bad memories but Bucky's curiosity got the best of him to notice.

"I met him once. Looks just like his father, acts like him too. I pity the poor soul that had to deal with two of them," Loki answered.

He didn't want to press but if Loki didn't want to answer, then he would let Bucky know.

"What is he like?" Bucky asked, trying his best to go easy on the questions. "Is he really someone who would raise an army to bring his father back to life?"

"Yes and anything that gets in his way would be wiped out. I hate him but it's kind of hard not to hold resentment when _you_ are the one who is tied down…" Loki's voice faded as his eyes staring at the blank wall, reliving a painful memory.

Startled by the sudden information, Bucky stuttered on trying to apologize. Loki rarely opened up, and learning about something that Thor probably has never known made Bucky uncomfortable. He wanted to say something, _anything_, to try to make better but nothing could undo what happened to Loki.

"I-I-I am so sorry," Bucky stammered. "I-I didn't know..."

"Not many do," Loki said. "Not many know about Thane to begin with. It's really no surprise that he would follow in his father's footsteps. I guess Amora was right; she might have even been working _for_ Thane. But who knows? Thankfully, that wench is dead."

Bucky picked at a loose thread on his cast, avoiding Loki's eyes. Loki had told him a bit about what happened to him in the Void - the unseen, vulnerable side of him that few knew about - but hearing more about it still unsettled him a bit. Nobody should have to suffer what Loki went through at the hands of Thanos. Hearing that an army wanted to resurrect his former master couldn't have been easy for him. Despite being smaller and considered weaker than most Asgardians, Bucky had to admire Loki's bravery for facing his former tormentor.

Bucky racked his brain in an attempt to form a response to Loki's sudden confession but Loki had already past it. Lingering on the topic for too long was difficult enough so it came as no surprise that Loki brushed it aside and continued talking.

"I heard that Strange also wanted us to meet," Loki stated, his daze fading and his eyes shining a little brighter than a few seconds ago.

Not wanting to bring up the Void again in case it hurt Loki even more, Bucky nodded.

"Yeah, apparently it was 'destiny' or something."

Loki nodded and raised the water bottle to his lips before saying, "That's cute. He's playing matchmaker, how adorable. Well, I'm glad to call you a friend."

Loki reached over and patted Bucky's foot, a half smile on his face. Bucky blinked in response, taken aback from Loki's innocence. Loki didn't know. Oh, how to word this gently...

"I-I don't think..._that_ was what he...wanted," Bucky admitted slowly, earning a raised eyebrow from Loki. "I think...he...intended for me to...kill...y-you…"

Loki didn't all that shocked, definitely not the reaction that Bucky expected. He let out a little 'huh' and finished the rest of his water.

Well, that went..._well_?

"You're not...you don't…" Bucky stammered.

"Does it really surprise you?" Loki questioned with a blank look on his face. "Strange hates me, I hate him. What better way to get rid of me without his status being ruined by having you kill me."

When Bucky didn't respond, Loki added a further explanation.

"'_I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother, Loki, is one of those beings,'_" Loki quoted in an impressively accurate impression of Strange. "It's quite touching, being considered like that, but honestly, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I'm dead. He and I don't exactly get along."

He had a point but Bucky wouldn't let it go. It's not everyday that someone is told that your friend was supposed to kill you.

"You're not even the least bit concerned," Bucky pointed out, quietly judging him for not caring about how he and Bucky were in the same room. Bucky could have easily killed Loki right now, considering Loki's state, but Bucky had sworn that he would never backstab his friends. Killing said friend was a big 'no-no' n his list. Killing _anyone_, unless they were part of Hydra, or Nazis - then he made an exception - went against everything he stood for. Being in the Army taught him that even though you are on opposite sides, it doesn't mean you just get to kill whomever, whenever you want. There is a difference between war and cold-blooded murder.

"Should I be?" Loki retorted. "I know that you aren't going to kill me; I'm not going to kill you. I would prefer to keep it that way."

"Well, yeah, I agree, but there's a war coming. And apparently the only way to stop it is to kill you and you don't look like you care at all," Bucky pressed.

Loki set his water bottle down and slowly turned to fully face Bucky.

"I _do_ care but sometimes worrying about little things that are still in their developing stages is a waste of time. Do I believe that we should stop wars before they happen, yes, but killing me is not going to change anything. This is the first time that we have heard _anything_ about this and Amora and Strange are not the most reliable sources."

Bucky opened his mouth to protest, to say that Loki was delusional in his weakened state, but Loki held up a hand to stop him. Heaving himself to his feet, Loki crossed over to stare out the window.

"Bucky, this is the _first_ time in _millennia_ that Earth is the center for fighting power in the Nine Realms," Loki exclaimed, his voice getting excited. He turned to look at Bucky, energy lightening his step as he paced the room. "We have the Avengers, SHIELD -which I _know_ is being rebuilt- the rest of the Asgardians, Valhalla if need be, us, and many other defenses that haven't existed until now. Earth may seem like the weakest planet in the universe but it has never been conquered, never been wiped out, obliterated. Humans, if anything, are resilient. If anything threatens them, then they will fight back. This is why Earth has existed for such a long time when some planets can't even last century. Earth is under its own control, not Asgard's, not the Kree, and definitely not _Thane's."_

If this war was really true, then Earth would fight back. Earth has always fought back.

And this time, they were ready.

Bucky was ready to stand and fight. Loki was too, once he got back to his normal self.

Loki was right, Earth could hold its own in a battle. After New York, after Ultron, after Thanos, they had always come back from tragedy. Thane could throw an intergalactic army in their faces and humans would always find a way to fight back, to bounce back.

And they wouldn't be alone. If Strange really wanted them together, then they will fight together. Maybe Strange was wrong, Loki didn't need to die to prevent a war - he needed to live to stop it. And Bucky, Sigyn, Thor, and others would stand behind him every step of the way.

He had been lost before but now he had found a team, a home. He decided that he would stay, stay with his team. They had been through a lot together; he would never forget how Loki jumped into the water to save him and how Sigyn helped his broken wrist, how happy everyone was to be back together.

Because they were more than just a team...

They were family.

**THE END**

**I might do a sequel but right now I want to start another story that I've been thinking about for a while. If I get enough requests, then maybe but I don't have any ideas for a sequel at the moment. Thank you so much those who've been to the end, favorting following, and reviewing. I appreciate every little thing that shows that people are paying attention and are actually liking my writing. My next story should be coming soon, so stay tuned. Until then, I should probably go study. ;) 3**


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